The Tachytes 



boldly upon her four hind-legs ; she raises the 

 fore-part of her body, opens, closes and 

 again opens her shears and presents them 

 threateningly at the enemy; using a privilege 

 which no other insect shares, she turns her 

 head this way and that, as we do when we 

 look over our shoulders; she faces her as- 

 sailant, ready to strike a return blow where- 

 soever the attack may come. It is the first 

 time that I have witnessed such defensive 

 daring. What will be the outcome of it all? 

 The Wasp continues to oscillate behind 

 the Mantis, in order to avoid the formidable 

 grappling-engine ; then, suddenly, when she 

 judges that the other is baffled by the rapid- 

 ity of her manoeuvres, she hurls herself upon 

 the insect's back, seizes its neck with her 

 mandibles, winds her legs round its thorax 

 and hastily deHvers a first thrust of the 

 sting, to the front, at the root of the lethal 

 legs. Complete success ! The deadly shears 

 fall powerless. The operator then lets her- 

 self slip as she might slide down a pole, 

 retreats along the Mantis' back and, going a 

 trifle lower, less than a finger's breadth, she 

 stops and paralyses, this time without hurry- 

 ing herself, the two pairs of hind-legs. It is 

 done: the patient lies motionless; only the 

 tarsi quiver, twitching In their last convul- 

 155 



