﻿On 
  Kibibi 
  Island, 
  S. 
  Victoria, 
  Jan. 
  22, 
  1919, 
  I 
  was 
  lying 
  

   on 
  the 
  sandy 
  shore 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  

   water, 
  where 
  the 
  ripples 
  were 
  breaking. 
  A 
  green 
  Mantis, 
  

   which 
  is 
  exhibited 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  identified 
  as 
  a 
  male 
  Mantis 
  

   pia, 
  Serv., 
  was 
  noted 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  the 
  water's 
  edge 
  and 
  seemed 
  

   to 
  be 
  rather 
  unpleasantly 
  knocked 
  about 
  by 
  the 
  breaking 
  

   ripples. 
  It 
  seemed 
  very 
  curious 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  every 
  time 
  it 
  

   was 
  thrown 
  a 
  little 
  way 
  up 
  the 
  beach 
  by 
  a 
  larger 
  ripple 
  it 
  

   steadfastly 
  walked 
  down 
  again 
  towards 
  the 
  water, 
  as 
  if 
  deter- 
  

   mined 
  to 
  drown 
  itself. 
  My 
  attention 
  being 
  attracted 
  by 
  this, 
  

   I 
  watched 
  for 
  some 
  minutes. 
  At 
  last 
  the 
  Mantis 
  got 
  left 
  on 
  

   a 
  little 
  ridge 
  of 
  sand, 
  but 
  seemed 
  quite 
  suddenly 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  overcome, 
  for 
  it 
  lay 
  on 
  its 
  back 
  with 
  legs 
  feebly 
  moving. 
  

   This 
  seemed 
  so 
  curious 
  that 
  I 
  got 
  up 
  to 
  look 
  and 
  found 
  a 
  

   long 
  Nematode 
  or 
  " 
  Thread-worm 
  " 
  (like 
  Gordius) 
  protruding 
  

   from 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Mantis' 
  abdomen. 
  I 
  pulled 
  out 
  the 
  last 
  

   inch 
  or 
  so 
  — 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  some 
  five 
  inches 
  long 
  — 
  and 
  

   the 
  Mantis 
  seemed 
  much 
  relieved. 
  Now 
  I 
  put 
  it 
  down 
  again 
  

   at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  but 
  this 
  time 
  it 
  just 
  as 
  steadfastly 
  

   walked 
  directly 
  aivay 
  from 
  the 
  water, 
  although 
  I 
  put 
  it 
  back 
  

   at 
  the 
  water's 
  edge 
  once 
  to 
  make 
  sure 
  it 
  had 
  not 
  lost 
  its 
  sense 
  

   of 
  direction. 
  

  

  The 
  behaviour 
  of 
  the 
  Mantis 
  was 
  such 
  that 
  one 
  felt 
  sure 
  

   that 
  instinct 
  had 
  forced 
  it 
  to 
  go 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  order 
  

   that 
  the 
  Nematode 
  parasite, 
  when 
  adult, 
  might 
  escape 
  from 
  

   the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  host 
  and 
  get 
  into 
  the 
  water, 
  where, 
  presum- 
  

   ably, 
  reproduction 
  takes 
  place. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  remarkable 
  

   case 
  of 
  adaptation 
  of 
  a 
  host 
  to 
  a 
  special 
  need 
  of 
  a 
  parasite. 
  

   These 
  Nematodes 
  are 
  often 
  obtained 
  from 
  insects, 
  and 
  

   may 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  England 
  on 
  damp 
  earth. 
  They 
  are 
  sup- 
  

   posed 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  country 
  superstition 
  that 
  if 
  a 
  

   bunch 
  of 
  horsehair 
  is 
  thrown 
  into 
  a 
  ditch 
  it 
  will 
  turn 
  into 
  

   " 
  Eels." 
  

  

  An 
  interesting 
  species 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  Guinea 
  worm 
  " 
  is 
  

   parasitic 
  on 
  man. 
  Its 
  early 
  stages 
  are 
  passed 
  in 
  the 
  little 
  

   crustacean 
  Cyclops, 
  and 
  if 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  swallowed 
  in 
  water 
  

   the 
  Nematode 
  develops 
  to 
  the 
  adult 
  beneath 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  

   host. 
  It 
  usually 
  finds 
  its 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  legs 
  or 
  feet, 
  and 
  when 
  

   the 
  skin 
  over 
  it 
  is 
  wetted 
  by 
  water 
  the 
  female 
  Guinea 
  worm 
  

  

  