THE DEVirS RIDING-HORSE {MANTID.E). 37 



on will actually be attracted towards it ; in fact, " it is 

 really a living- trap, and forms its own bait." 



Equally interesting" instances of the striking simulation 

 to flowers are exhibited by Indian Mantidas of the genus 

 Gongylus, the floral resemblance, by deceiving and 

 attracting insects, serving to secure for the pupal mantidae 

 a supply of food. With regard to their under surface, 

 the leaf-like prothoracic expansion is coloured either 

 white, or a pale bluish-violet, inclining to mauve, and 

 acquiring a reddish tinge towards the margins, so as 

 to resemble a flower with a white or a purple corolla, 

 and both species have the same blackish-brown blotch 

 in the centre, thus resembling the opening of a tube in 

 the middle of the corolla of a flower. A specimen having 

 a bright violet-blue thoracic shield was found in Pegu, 

 by the late Mr. S. Kurz, and its resemblance to a 

 flower for a moment deceived the practised eyes of the 

 botanist. 



The resemblance of mantida^ to the excreta of birds 

 is also of use to the insects for aggressive purposes, 

 since flies are known to be attracted by such droppings. 

 One mantis closely resembles the white ants on which 

 it feeds — an instance of the somewhat rare phenomenon 

 of Aggressive Mimicry. 



