Tltc Bionomics of South African Insects. 3U7 



and five I'ctrdopsis punctatissima, but the 

 Mantis would not touch any of them. 

 Sept. 20. Mantis still refused to eat, ana P. jmndntis- 

 sima dead. 

 „ oO. Tlu'ee more lyunctatissiinci dead. Mantis 

 ate the ncohulc entirely. 

 Oct. 1. The remaining ^w?icte^is-SM/ia dead. Putin 

 two Acr/ea encedon and one A. serena. 

 The Mantis seemed more keenly alive 

 to their presence than usual, eagerly 

 following them in their flight with sharp 

 turns of the head like a cat watching a 

 swallow. At last the serena gave her a 

 chance, and was immediately seized and 

 eaten. No more were eaten during the 

 day, and towards evening I put in another 

 A. serena. 



„ 2. The day being dull the three butterflies 



were quite inactive. I therefore placed 

 the serena near the Mantis, which soon 

 seized it, and ate nearly the whole of one 

 fore-wing and part of the other; finding 

 this unsatisfactory she dropped it, I then 

 offered her an encedon, which was promptly 

 taken and devoured entire, and immedi- 

 ately afterwards the serena. was eaten. 



„ o. Wet day : no Acra3as procurable. Kemain- 



ing encrdo'ii, dead. 



„ 4. Gave Mantis two A. encedon. She was 



evidently hungry, on two occasions mnking 

 futile jumps towards the buttei-flies as 

 they fluttered past, instead of waiting 

 for them to come . within striking dis- 

 tance ; there was however a noticeable 

 decrease in her general vivacity. Eventu- 

 ally she caught both butterflies in quick 

 succession, and devoured them completely. 

 After the head of the second one was 

 eaten, a large drop of yellow liquid oozed 

 from the thorax. On tasting it she drew 

 ■ back quickly and seemed uncertain 

 whether to go on or not, but finally put 

 her mouth to it and sucked it all up, 



