The South Australian Naturalist 19 



with the other and quietly proceeded to eat off its head, as she 

 Iniug- daintily to the wire — a picture of gluttony. The meal 

 lasted until there were only the wings and hoppers left. 



I have seen mantids eat between forty and fifty flies a day. 

 They also eat moths, cockroaches, beetles, spiders/ caterpillars, 

 and as many of their own species as they can get. I found it 

 unwise to keep more than one in each cage, as it always ended 

 in a tragedy. Flies are unworthy of their notice when one of 

 their own kind is in the cage. The weaker or less wary always 

 go to the wall. They, however, draw the line at ants. I put 

 some large ones in the cage; they were caught and killed and 

 dropped to the bottom of the cage. After they have finished a 

 big meal it is amusing to watch them at their^toilet : the fore- 

 leg is well licked, then put behind the head and brought ove^ 

 the large eye and down the face. 



About three days before the making of the nest the mantis 

 hangs quietly to the wire, feeding very little— just an occasional 

 liy. I put m different dainties dear to the mantis heart, but all 

 ni vain. Nothing tempts them; they are waiting for their 

 lovers.. Whether lovers are scarce or not ardent, I do not know ; 

 perhaps they are not keen on meeting the large, fierce females' 

 because if not wary they would be devoured after they had 

 paid their addresses. However, I have never seen a male around 

 the cages, though they hung outside against a green garden 

 creeper. I watched, as well as I possibly could, by dav and late 

 nito the night. One mantis alone made seven nests during the 

 season. I was not fortunate to see one starting her nest, thouo'h 

 I came on the scene when it was nearly finished. She worked 

 her ovipostor first one way until she came to the upper part, 

 and then back again until she came to the upper part again' 

 and so till it was quite finished, when it had like a rough'^sort 

 of seam on the upper part. When drv it looks like white 

 crinkled paper and the size of a medium-sized thimble. Of 

 course, they vary in size and shape. As the nest is being made 

 It looks like the white of an egg beaten into foam, as if air is 

 being beaten or blown into it. It is soft and white just after it 

 is finished, but sets very quickly: once set it is very touo'h to 

 pull to pieces, and water has no eft'ect on it. ' "^ 



■a 'A^^^^m^^^^ ^^^* ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ of is a stickv waterv 

 fluid. Ihe mantis, a day or so before nest-making mav drop p 

 little of this, and it dries the same as the white of an eo-o- if it 

 dries on the fingers it cannot be washed off, but has to be^scraped 

 with the nail or with a stiff brush. The eggs are vellowish and 

 nearly as long as a larvae of the flesh flv less than a day old 

 but not so thick. The sticky fluid surrounds them; the young 



