The Mantis: her Nest 



seeing the ovipositor at work. I can judge 

 of the arrival of the eggs only by the move- 

 ments of the tip of the abdomen, which sud- 

 denly drives down and immerses itself more 

 deeply. 



At the same time, the viscous stuff is 

 poured forth in intermittent waves and 

 whipped and turned into foam by the two 

 terminal valves. The froth obtained spreads 

 over the sides of the layer of eggs and at 

 the base, where I see it, pressed back by the 

 abdomen, projecting through the meshes of 

 the gauze. Thus the spongy covering is 

 gradually brought into being as the ovaries 

 are emptied. 



I imagine, without being able to rely on 

 direct observation, that for the central 

 kernel, where the eggs are contained in a 

 more homogeneous material than the rind, 

 the Mantis employs her product as it is, with- 

 out beating it up and making it foam. When 

 the eggs are deposited, the two valves would 

 produce foam to cover them. Once again, 

 however, all this is very difficult to follow 

 under the veil of the bubbling mass. 



In a new nest, the exit-zone is coated with 

 a layer of fine porous matter, of a pure, dull, 

 almost chalky white, which contrasts with 



155 



