This Australian pitfall was only about half the size of that made by the European lion-ant. Physical Description of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, p. 354.

I was interested by finding here the hollow conical pitfall of the lion-ant, or some other insect: first a fly fell down the treacherous slope and immediately disappeared; then came a large but unwary ant; its struggles to escape being very violent, those curious little jets of sand, described by Kirby and Spence "Entomology" volume 1 page 425, as being flirted by the insect's tail, were promptly directed against the expected victim.

And yet, unlike so many lodging-house keepers, resembling more the lion-ant than any other of the symbolic world of insects, they were strictly honest. Had they not been, I doubt if Hester would have been able, though they would then have needed more, to give them so much pity as she did, for she had a great scorn of dishonesty.