1900. | INSECYS OF THE “ SKEALT EXPEDITION.” 843 
hour's interval, it was found that the insect had deserted the flowers 
and was sitting quite still among the leaves at the bottom of the box. 
Though its attitude was essentially the same as before, its whole 
appearance was now completely changed ; for it no longer resembled 
the flowers among which it had been found except in the most remote 
degree, but appeared rather to simulate an orchid fallen upon the 
ground. The brown lines on the upper surface of the abdomen, 
which had before been concealed among the petals of the flowers, 
became conspicuous from many points of view, now that the body 
was seen from above. Converging as they did towards the 
junction with the thorax, they bore no slight likeness to the 
* honey-guides” of many orchids. The dar ker transverse bars 
seen in the shadow cast by the head and thorax gave an idea of 
hollowness such as might be expected round the nectaries ; while 
the abdomen itself represented the labellum, and the limbs the 
other petals of the orchid. The head and thorax took the place of 
the stamen and anthers, their resemblance to which was greatly 
increased by the horn-shaped eyes; and even the green bar on the 
thorax had a new part to play, for on not a few orchids there is 
just such a band at the base of this part of the flower. No change 
of colour aided the change of appearance. The Mantis remained 
among the dead leaves for the rest of the day of its capture and 
for the night which followed, without altering its tint or losing 
anything of its brilliancy. I do not know of any specific orchid 
which it may have simulated; orchids of sutlicient size and 
brilliancy of colour are rare, if not unknown, in lower Siam. 
Karly the next morning the Mantis was placed on a packing- 
case in the open air, near a large branch of the “ Rhodcedendron 
fixed upright ina natural position. It deliberately walked towards 
the branch, swaying its whole body from side to side as it pro- 
gressed, and commenced to climb one of the twigs. This twig, 
however, bore only green buds and unripe fruit. When the 
Mantis reached the tip of the twig and found no flowers, it re- 
mained still for a few seconds, and then turned and descended 
with the same staggering gait. It proceeded to climb another 
twig. This also bore no tlowers. The Mantis descended from it 
and mounted a third twig ig, which was topped by a large bunch of 
full-blown blossoms. To these it clung by means of the claws of 
the two posterior pairs of limbs. For a few minutes it remained 
perfectly still, and then began swaying its body from side to side, 
as it had done while walking. (It was only during this brief 
interval of rest that I was able to secure a photograph, for in a 
tropical climate so damp as that of lower Siam instantaneous 
photography is never satisfactory. The hghbt, in spite of its 
apparent intensity, is very feelly ‘actinic, and “the moisture of the 
atmosphere combined with the heat makes it impossible to keep 
“rapid” plates for any length of time.) W hile the body of the 
Mantis was in motion the fine hair-like antenne were also in eon- 
stant agitation, sometimes being held upright, sometimes stretched 
out like horns, and sometimes lying back along the thorax. 
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