The Bionomics of South African Insects. 303 



Sept. 15. Put ill an A. screna. It was eaten after a 

 short interval. Later gave him an A. 

 cnccdon. At first he seemed only fright- 

 ened, but subsequently caught it, and after 

 taking a bite at the thorax threw it down 

 and paid no further attention to it. 

 16. Brought Pscudocrcohotra from Urakomaas to 



Malvern. 

 18. Put a Tcracolus onipliah and an A. cnccdon 

 into his box, but they were not touched 

 all day, owing to their inactivity and the 

 large size of the box. The Mantis was 

 also more sluggish in its movements than 

 in a natural state. 

 ,, 19. Caught the cnccdon and offered it to Mantis 

 in my fingers. He objected strongly at 

 first, but eventually took a small nibble 

 but would not try another bite. Offered 

 him the omphcde in the same way, but 

 being suspicious he refused it also, but at 

 last took a bite, and, finding it all right, 

 ate it all. On again putting the cnccdon 

 near his mouth he only felt it with his 

 palpi but would not eat. 

 „ 20. Left the same cnccdon in all day in hopes 

 that he might be compelled to eat it by 

 hunger ; but he did not do so. 

 „ 21. Enccdon untouched, so removed it and put 

 Pscudocrcohotrcc into a smaller box with 

 the specimens of ^4. serena,hi\i he seemed 

 to take no interest in them. On holding 

 one of the butterflies to his mouth, he felt 

 it persistently with his palpi and seemed 

 almost as though he were trying to eat 

 but could not. He was certainly weaker 

 on his legs. 

 „ 22. One of the enccdon died during the night, 

 and in the course of the morning I found 

 the Mantis apparently eating at its head 

 as it lay at the bottom of the box, without 

 using his fore-legs, which were held out 

 on each side. However, on taking up the 

 butterfly I found he had made no impres- 

 sion on it. I then placed a Terias hrigitta 



