The Mantis: her Nest 



the median line, where the frothy rind is re- 

 placed by thin plates set side by side. The 

 free ends of these plates form the exit-zone 

 outside; they are imbricated in two series of 

 scales and leave a couple of outlets, narrow 

 clefts, for each layer of eggs. 



The most striking part of my researches 

 was being present at the construction of 

 the nest and seeing how the Mantis goes to 

 work to produce so complex a building. I 

 managed it with some difficulty, for the lay- 

 ing takes place without warning and nearly 

 always at night. After much useless waiting, 

 chance at last favoured me. On the 5th of 

 September, one of my boarders, who had 

 been fertilized on the 29th of August, de- 

 cided to lay her eggs before my eyes at 

 about four o'clock in the afternoon. 



Before watching her labour, let us note 

 one thing: all the nests that I have obtained 

 in the cages — and there are a good many of 

 them — have as their support, with not a 

 single exception, the wire gauze of the 

 covers. I had taken care to place at the 

 Mantes' disposal a few rough bits of stone, 

 a few tufts of thyme, foundations very often 

 used in the open fields. My captives pre- 

 ferred the wire network, whose meshes fur- 



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