610 JOURNAL, B03IBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIV. 



No. XIX.— NOTE ON A SPECIES OF GORDIUS PARASITIC 

 IN THE BODY OF A MANTIS. 



In the Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Eoyal Asiatic Society (No. 

 47, Vol. XTV., 1896), Mr. Oliver Collett has recorded the occurrence of a 

 Nematoid Worm in the body of a Mantis. The worm in question was of an 

 opaque milky white colour and measured 27f itiches in length with a diameter 

 of ^oth of an inch. I have just observed a seconfl instance of the same kind. 

 A live Mantis was brought to me, enclosed in a paper envelope. On opening 

 the packet I found that a Gordius had emerged from the still living insect. 

 The Mantis Cone of the common green kind) has a total body length of 

 3 inches, its abdomen being If inches long by | inch broad. The worm 

 measures )3^ inches in length, and is about J^th of an inch thick. It is of a 

 blackish brown colour. The body tapers to a fine point at the posterior 

 extremity. It also tapers anteriorly ; but has a small bulbous extremity in 

 which is a simple pore-like aperture. The surface of the body is coarsely 

 granular, 



Gordius belongs to the sub-order Nematomorpha of the Nemathelminthine 

 worms. There are two genera only : Gordius, confined to fresh water ; and 

 Nectonema, a solely marine form. The form of the posterior extremity shows 

 the present example to be a female, though its dark colour is usually an 

 indication of the male sex. The eggs of Gordius are deposited in water and 

 the larval stage is passed in the bodies of aquatic insects. The Mantis 

 doubtless acquires the parasite through eati'^g some insect that has passed its 

 early stages in water —such as a Caddis Fly, Perla, or May Fly, The average 

 length of species of Gordius is stated to be 170 mm. My specimen (13j 

 inches) equals about 330 mm. ; while that found by Mr. Collett attained the 

 .a;igantic length of 687 mm. 



After reaching the adult state, the worm leaves the body of its host and 

 presumably seeks the water to meet the male and deposit its eggs. Though 

 some species of Gordius are said to withstand dessication, my example failed 

 to revive when placed in water. 



E. ERNEST GREEN, 

 Government Entomologist, 



Royal Botanic Gardens, 



Peradeniya, Ceylon, 



20th May, 1902. 



No. XX.— ROBIN LAYING IN BABBLER'S NEST. 



I send for the Society's Museum if you think it worth preserving, the 

 nest eggs and parent bird of Thamnobia cambaiensis. The curious part is that 

 the nest belongs to the Jungle Bush Babbler {^Argya caudata) and was evidently 

 taken possession of by the present bird. The nest was placed in a small 

 thorny (I think, Kurunda) bush in scrub jungle and contained two eggs 

 which were not those of A, caudata, but for two days I could not catch the 



