MANTISPA 311 



some insect it had caught precisely as the wasp chews 

 up caterpillars into pulp, and when disturbed flew with 

 it on to a neighbouring branch. But the thickness of 

 the abdomen caught my attention, and disclosed the 

 true nature of the insect. The question may well be 

 asked. How was it that the broad wings of a Neuropterous 

 insect did not attract attention, as differing from the 

 narrow folded dark wings of the wasp ? 



When the Mantispa was at rest the fore wings 

 lay above the posterior wings and concealed them. 

 Their greater part was absolutely transparent and 

 hardly noticeable, but the appearance of the narrow 

 wings of the wasps was produced by a darkening of a 

 narrow strip along the anterior margin of the fdre wings, 

 which dark strip roughly resembled in shape the whole 

 of the folded wings of the wasp.^ The Mantispa at rest 

 held its wings directed backwards as does the wasp, 

 but not quite parallel to the body, so that they made a 

 slightly greater angle with each other than did the 

 wasp's wings. 



In colour the Mantispa very closely resembled Belono- 

 gaster, and the resemblance, probably pseudaposematic 

 or true mimicry, was extraordinary, and would not be 

 believed if one had only seen the specimens in the cabinet. ^ 



Orthoptera. 



Mantidae. — One species, Pseudocreobotra ocellata, has 

 already been alluded to as an instance of Anticryptio 

 colouring ; other equally cryptic grass green species 

 were particularly abundant on certain islands, an account 

 of which was given in Chapter VI. Sometimes the 

 curious egg clusters were very abundant ; the eggs are 

 embedded in a substance somewhat resembling the crust 



1 See also Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1902, Part III, pp. 528-9. 



8 Cp. G. A. K. Marshall, Tratis. Ent. Soc, 1902, Part III, pp. 636-7. 



