1040 MH. A. lovhiudgt: : notics on 



A specimen of this green mantis was bi-ouglit me at 6 p.m., 

 having been found on a tree-trunk. It deposited an egg-mass, 

 1;] inches in length and 1 inch in diameter, on the window frame 

 before 8 a.m. It stayed beside the eggs till dusk the following 

 evening, Avhen it disappeared. (Nairobi, 7. viii. 19.) 



The boy brouglit me two more specimens of this mantis— one 

 immature but almost fullj'-groAvn and an adult. The latter 

 measured in head and body 68 mm., abdomen only 45 mm. In 

 its abdominal cavity, and quite free, I found a Gordian Worm {Gor- 

 dius sp., Baylis det.) 378 mm. in length and 1-5 mm, in dinmeter. 

 It would be interesting to calculate what length of worm a human 

 could carry in proportionate body-weights if he were aftlicited 

 with such pests. (Nairobi, 12. viii. 19.) 



96. Spiioduomantis viridis Forsk, Four or five days ago 

 I brought a gravid mantis into the house ; it spent most of its 

 time resting on a vase of flowers near the mosquito-gauzed 

 window. This morning a male mantis was on the gauze six inches 

 from the female. I therefore went outside and brought him 

 in at 9 a.m. The female was clinging to the gauze head upwards, 

 about 9 inches below the male, who was head downwards. At 

 12,17 p.m. the female took two short steps in the direction of 

 the male. At 12,19 p,m, with a rapid jump he sprang upon her, 

 his head being towards her tail ; he turned so (piickly that his 

 fore-legs grasped her just anterior to the middle pair of legs and 

 base of wings. His second pair of legs rested on her wings, also 

 his left posterior leg, the right posterior leg being in space. 

 The terminal segment of his abdomen was twisted round in a 

 quite impossible way to form the union. They remained paired 

 thus from 12.19 p.m. to sundown at 6 p.m. (29.iy, 21), They 

 paired again for a couple of hours at noon, but after this made 

 no further attempts (30. iv. 21). Eggs were laid on the window 

 gauze (24, v, 21), Eggs hatched; young sloughed shortly after 

 hatching. They are greyish-fawn in colour, with legs striped 

 like those of a Stegomyia fasciala, but not in such contrasting 

 black and white. (Kilosa, 6,vii. 21.) 



97. Omomantis zebrata Oharp. A mantis, being put upon 

 a mosquito-meshed window where there were three bees, carefully 

 stalked them, swaying backwards and forwards with every step 

 just like a chameleon. It is curious to note that two creatui-es 

 so entirely diiferent except in their green colour should have 

 developed precisely the same gait, which to my mind is meant 

 to simulate tlie movements of a leaf swaying geiitly to and fro in 

 a breeze, and enables then) to approach withii, striking distance of 

 their prey — the one with its tongue, the other with its specially 

 modified pro-legs. The mantis seized the bee with the.se ; the 

 abdomen of the bee was held as in a vice in the left, its head in 

 the right ; without loss of time the mantis bit into and crunched 

 up the vital thorax, whilst the bee was quite powerless to 

 retaliate. (Kilosa, 27. iii, 22,) 



