20 The South Australian Naturalist. 



mantids seem to eat their Avay out of the nest, as they leave a 

 round hole where they have emerged. A nest whence all the 

 3^oung ones have emerged looks as if it had lots of holes made 

 in it with a hat pin. I got about forty young ones out of two 

 nests, which I kept in a glass jar. The}' were tiny, pale greyish 

 creatures, about five millimeters in length. As soon as they 

 were free from the nest they ran about and climbed u]) a twig 

 which I had put in the jar. They were all alertness and 

 activity. Some sat in the hunting attitude, others hurriedly 

 cleaned their fore-legs. There was no time lost in preparing to 

 launch out into the world to face the struggle for existence. 

 These tiny creatures are not pessimists ; they seem to be full of 

 hope as they look at one with their protruding eyes; they are 

 all impatience to enter upon a life which seems all sunshine and 

 joy. Poor little insects, there is disillusionment in store for 

 many of them. Considering the number of eggs that were laid, 

 one would expect to see mantids more numerous; but there 

 must be a big mortality among them when they are young. 



The mantis is quite indifferent to her nest once it is finished. 

 They usually make their nests at night or in the early hours of 

 the morning. I got permission to keep one nest sent to me, and 

 I fervently hoped it was not a blank. With another of the same 

 size I put it in a glass jar and waited for developments. I had 

 only a fortnight to wait, when 1 had a jar swarming with tiny 

 mantids ; they were indeed a sight to see. The day after the 

 mantis had emerged I noticed two small fly-like insects, about 

 two and a half millimeters long, also in the jar. I had the jar 

 too well secured for uninvited guests to enter ; they had there- 

 fore come out of the nests, and must be parasitic. Some weeks 

 later, while pulling an old nest to pieces, one from which the 

 young ones had emerged, I found in it one of the little creatures 

 dead. They are brilliant little things. The thorax is a deep 

 metallic blue ; the abdomen, which ends V-shape, and to which 

 is attached a long thin hair-like appendage, measuring about six 

 millimeters, is the colour of polished copper; the eyes are 

 shining yellow. 



In my cages I had also greyish-brown mantids. I do not 

 knovv' whether I was unfortunate, or whether the}^ are less hardy 

 than the grey kind, but I did not succeed in rearing any to 

 maturity. AVhen young their body is more slender, and they 

 are very timid; they run around as if they were even afraid of 

 flies in their cage. The nests I have gathered, from which 

 greyish-bi'own mantids emerged, were smaller and rounder in 

 shape. 



