298 Mr. G. A. K. Marshall on 



Iwrta. He tackled it at once, seizing it from above and 

 biting the thorax, but he quickly let go and began wiping 

 his mouth as before. A few minutes later he made a 

 second attempt with the same result. After this he ap- 

 peared to avoid it. I then put in a wingless Amauris 

 echeria and left him for some time. On my return I 

 found it had been entirely eaten, whereas the A. horta 

 was still untouched. Took the horta out, cut off its Avinofs 

 and replaced it. The Mantis eyed it with suspicion when- 

 ever it came near him, and felt it cautiously with his 

 antennae ; when it came too near him, he backed away 

 and would not attempt to touch it. Later on I tapped 

 the gauze so that the horta fell close by the Mantis. He 

 gripped it at once, and began eating away at the underside 

 of the abdomen, but soon threw it down again, and would 

 not touch it although I gave him no other food for twenty- 

 four hours. After that I put in a male BcJcnois severina, 

 which he devoured readily. 



Experiment c. — After starving the Mantis for twenty- 

 four hours I gave him a Z. chrysippus. On seeing it 

 fluttering he came down to it eagerly and soon caught it. 

 The large wings prevented him for some time from getting 

 at the body, and he tliereforc ate away almost half a hind- 

 wing. He then went on and ate the whole insect except 

 the limbs. 



Experiment d. — Gave the Mantis a Papilio demodocus. 

 He had some difficulty in catching it at first, owing to its 

 size and strength, but eventually seized it from below and 

 devoured it. 



Experiment r. — Gave an entire female Iiorta to my 

 captive Mantis. He caught it, bit the thorax and started 

 back Avith disgust, just as in the previous experiment, but 

 his efforts to get rid of the nasty taste were more prolonged. 

 For over five minutes he continued cleaning his mouth on 

 his fore-legs or rubbing it from side to side on the gauze. 

 I then put in an entire Amauris echeria, but he seenaed 

 too scared to attemy^t to touch it. However, he caught it 

 during the night (while there w^as a light in the room) and 

 ate all the abdonion, leaving the head and thorax. 



Experiments on Mantidie at Mai.vern, Natal. 



III. On March 11, l.Sf)7, I captured a large female 

 green Mantis [probably rolijsinlota caffra (Westw.) or very 



