﻿208 
  R. 
  J. 
  TILL 
  YARD. 
  

  

  into 
  my 
  net 
  they 
  ran 
  all 
  over 
  me 
  like 
  cockroaches, 
  getting 
  down 
  my 
  neck 
  and 
  up 
  

   the 
  sleeves 
  of 
  my 
  coat. 
  A 
  single 
  female 
  may 
  have 
  anything 
  from 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  up 
  to 
  

   more 
  than 
  50 
  males 
  around 
  her. 
  

  

  Pairing 
  takes 
  place 
  very 
  rapidly, 
  the 
  male 
  sidling 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  female, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  

   raising 
  her 
  wings 
  slightly 
  on 
  one 
  side, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  male 
  may 
  come 
  closer. 
  They 
  then 
  

   remain 
  alongside 
  one 
  another, 
  the 
  male 
  seizing 
  the 
  curved 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  in 
  his 
  

   claspers. 
  In 
  captivity, 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  pairing 
  sometimes 
  lasted 
  a 
  considerable 
  time, 
  

   up 
  to 
  half 
  an 
  hour, 
  but 
  under 
  natural 
  conditions 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  quicker, 
  

   probably 
  because 
  of 
  attacks 
  from 
  a 
  multitude 
  of 
  enemies. 
  

  

  Enemies 
  of 
  Ithone. 
  

  

  On 
  a 
  favourable 
  night, 
  when 
  Ithone 
  may 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  swarm, 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  

   life 
  of 
  the 
  bush 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  getting 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  event. 
  We 
  could 
  see 
  huge 
  spiders 
  

   spinning 
  their 
  tough 
  webs 
  everywhere, 
  in 
  feverish 
  haste 
  ; 
  while 
  battalions 
  of 
  ants 
  

   of 
  various 
  kinds, 
  especially 
  Bulldogs 
  (Myrmecia) 
  , 
  Mound 
  ants 
  (Iridomyrmex 
  detectus) 
  

   and 
  Greenheads 
  (Ectatomma), 
  began 
  to 
  swarm 
  up 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  take 
  up 
  expectant 
  

   attitudes, 
  waiting 
  to 
  pounce 
  upon 
  their 
  victims. 
  Huge 
  Lvcosid 
  spiders, 
  commonly 
  

   called 
  " 
  triantelopes," 
  came 
  out 
  from 
  their 
  lairs, 
  also 
  ready 
  to 
  pounce 
  ; 
  and 
  even 
  

   frogs 
  took 
  up 
  suitable 
  positions 
  at 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  tree-trunks. 
  

  

  Immediately 
  the 
  swarm 
  begins 
  Ithone 
  falls 
  a 
  victim 
  to 
  its 
  enemies 
  in 
  hundreds. 
  

   Approaching 
  my 
  first 
  tree, 
  I 
  saw 
  four 
  male 
  Ithone 
  struggling 
  wildly, 
  each 
  in 
  the 
  grip 
  

   of 
  from 
  eight 
  to 
  ten 
  savage 
  Greenheads, 
  which 
  had 
  already 
  bitten 
  off 
  most 
  of 
  their 
  

   wings. 
  On 
  the 
  next 
  tree 
  a 
  male 
  Ithone 
  was 
  struggling 
  in 
  the 
  grip 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  spider 
  ; 
  

   on 
  returning 
  later, 
  I 
  found 
  that 
  all 
  except 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  wings 
  had 
  been 
  devoured. 
  A 
  

   little 
  further 
  on, 
  some 
  Bulldog 
  ants 
  had 
  seized 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  victims 
  ; 
  while 
  in 
  various 
  

   places 
  the}? 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  struggling 
  in 
  the 
  broad 
  spiders' 
  webs 
  stretched 
  from 
  bush 
  

   to 
  bush. 
  It 
  was 
  often 
  a 
  race 
  between 
  myself 
  and 
  these 
  numerous 
  enemies, 
  to 
  see 
  

   who 
  could 
  secure 
  the 
  Ithone 
  first. 
  I 
  should 
  estimate 
  that 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  swarm 
  

   survives 
  the 
  first 
  mauvais 
  quart 
  d'heure. 
  In 
  the 
  early 
  morning, 
  the 
  Thickhead 
  and 
  

   other 
  birds 
  are 
  abroad 
  hunting 
  down 
  the 
  remainder, 
  so 
  that 
  by 
  8 
  a.m. 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  

   previous 
  night's 
  swarm 
  is 
  left. 
  

  

  The 
  actual 
  flight 
  of 
  Ithone 
  lasts 
  under 
  an 
  hour, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  search 
  

   thoroughly 
  for 
  females 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  about, 
  the 
  males 
  being 
  so 
  abundant 
  that 
  one 
  

   could 
  easily 
  secure 
  50 
  or 
  so 
  without 
  getting 
  a 
  single 
  female. 
  By 
  the 
  time 
  darkness 
  

   has 
  set 
  in 
  the 
  flight 
  is 
  finished, 
  and 
  from 
  then 
  onwards 
  only 
  occasional 
  specimens 
  

   are 
  to 
  be 
  got, 
  either 
  resting 
  on 
  trees, 
  running 
  about 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  or 
  sometimes 
  

   coming 
  to 
  light. 
  

  

  Oviposition. 
  

  

  The 
  female, 
  when 
  about 
  to 
  oviposit, 
  runs 
  about 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  until 
  she 
  finds 
  a 
  

   suitable 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  soft 
  enough. 
  She 
  then 
  proceeds 
  to 
  work 
  her 
  abdomen 
  

   down 
  into 
  the 
  soft 
  soil, 
  using 
  all 
  the 
  time 
  her 
  peculiar 
  sand-plough 
  for 
  digging 
  it 
  up, 
  

   until 
  her 
  wings 
  come 
  to 
  lie 
  almost 
  flat 
  on 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  her 
  legs 
  sprawl 
  out 
  in 
  front 
  

   of 
  her. 
  In 
  this 
  position, 
  she 
  works 
  her 
  abdomen 
  first 
  vertically 
  downwards 
  and 
  then 
  

   somewhat 
  forwards, 
  so 
  that 
  its 
  apex 
  is 
  from 
  one-half 
  to 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  

   below 
  the 
  surface. 
  She 
  now 
  lays 
  her 
  eggs 
  steadily, 
  working 
  hard 
  all 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  

   roUing 
  each 
  egg 
  separately 
  in 
  the 
  sand, 
  which 
  adheres 
  to 
  its 
  sticky 
  surface 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   form 
  a 
  protective 
  covering. 
  In 
  captivity 
  large 
  Mason 
  jars 
  were 
  used, 
  in 
  which 
  we 
  

   placed 
  an 
  inch 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  sandy 
  soil. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  females 
  would 
  work 
  down 
  to 
  

   the 
  glass 
  bottom, 
  and 
  in 
  such 
  cases 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  would 
  become 
  glued 
  to 
  it, 
  

   and 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  removed 
  without 
  damage. 
  

  

  The 
  sand 
  sticks 
  so 
  tightly 
  to 
  the 
  egg 
  that 
  when 
  I 
  first 
  tried 
  fixing 
  them 
  in 
  Bouin's 
  

   fluid 
  I 
  was 
  quite 
  unable 
  to 
  remove 
  it, 
  even 
  after 
  weeks 
  of 
  immersion 
  in 
  the 
  fixative. 
  

   This 
  difficulty 
  was 
  overcome 
  last 
  year 
  by 
  giving 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  sugar, 
  instead 
  

  

  