312 SUNDRY INSECTS 



of a meringue, covered by a substance resembling parch- 

 ment in texture, but produced by the Mantis as foam 

 at the time of oviposition. These egg masses vary much 

 in shape, size and texture according to the species — some 

 are pure white, spherical, and about the size of a bantam's 

 egg ; others, no larger than a hazel nut, have an amber 

 coloured, almost transparent covering, with a ridge along 

 one side looking like a seam where two halves meet. 

 These are very conspicuou^s, and may be seen at the tips 

 of twigs, etc. ; but there are other very cryptic forms 

 of egg masses, laid along a twig and closely adherent to 

 it, with rough opaque brown surface. The freshly hatched 

 Mantids may sometimes be found hanging from the 

 egg clusters by slender threads, but I do not know 

 for how long they remain thus. Very young specimens 

 are often black, and look extremely ant-like as they run 

 about. 



Phasmidae. — Stick insects found on the islands are 

 small and not remarkable : " grass insects " would be 

 a better name, because they are found in long grass, the 

 stems of which their slender wingless bodies resemble 

 in size and colour. They frequently betray themselves 

 by a curious swaying from side to side, for which it is 

 difficult to account, for were they to remain quite still 

 they would certainly be invisible. 



Locustidae. — The most noticeable insect of this family 

 was a slender active grasshopper known to the natives 

 as " Ensenene " ; about two inches long, usually grass 

 green but sometimes light brown. These grasshoppers 

 used to appear suddenly in great numbers and could 

 be heard faintly chirping in the grass. As one walked 

 along they took to the wing in clouds, and their 

 pearly wings flashing in the sun produced a curious 

 resemblance to driven snowflakes. At these times the 

 natives would go out and catch large numbers for eating, 

 walking through the long grass and whistling through 



