LEPIDOPTERA AND HYMENOPTERA. 17 



account of the rapacity of the female, and it seems to be only by 

 accident that a male ever escapes alive from the embraces of his 

 partner, 



Westwood quotes from the Jouriial ae Physique, 1784, an 

 instance in which the female of the European species — Mantis 

 religiosa — decapitated the male before mating ; but I know of no 

 record of a similar occurrence with M. caj-olina, nor of the further 

 mutilation described above. 



Riley, in his " First Monthly Report," p. 151, says: " The female 

 being the strongest and most voracious, the male, in making his 

 advances, has to risk his life many times, and only succeeds in 

 grasping her by slyly and suddenly surprising her ; and even then 

 he frequently gets remorselessly devoured." 



In Packard's " Guide," p. 575, we find, ''Professor Sanborn 

 Tenney tells me he has observed the female after sexual union 

 devour the male." 



L. O. Howard. 

 Washington D.C., Sept 27. 



^birt^^Biy Iboure' Ibunting antono tbc Xcpt* 



^optc^a anb Ib^tncnoptcra of fIDibMesey; 



Mitb IRotes on tbc /Dbetbobs abopte& tor 

 tbelr Capture. 



By Sydney T. Klein, F.R.A.S., etc., Hon. Secretary and 



Treasurer to the County of Middlesex Natural 



History and Science Society. 



IT is only a few months ago that the Provisional Committee, 

 the nucleus of the present Society, was formed, and the cri- 

 tical remarks of certain scientists, together with the obstacles 

 attendant on every new movement, which have to be overcome 

 before good work can be done, are therefore fresh in the memories 

 of many of those present. For my part, I think there were only 

 two aspersions thrown at this movement, which, coming from 

 competent sources, made me a little uneasy until I was able to 

 Vol. VI. c 



