March, 1888.] eluott society. 195 



Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge: Bulletia, Vol. 

 Xin, No. 7, and Memoirs, Vol. XV. 



"West American Scientist, San Diego, Cal. ; Vol. IV, Nos. 32 

 and 33. 



New York State Library : Keport, 1887. 



Mr. E. A. Smyth, Jr., exhibited specimens of two native species 

 of Mantis, M. CaroUnensis and M. sps.f 



Mr. Mazj^ck read the following letter : 



Chakleston, S. C, March 16tii, 1888. 

 Mr. Mazyck, 



Dear Sir : 



Two or three Summers ago whilst in my yard 

 in Trumbo Court, I heard the cry of what I supposed to be, a small bird. It 

 evidently was a cry of pain, and came from a honey-suckle vine in the garden 

 near which 1 was standing. On approaching the vine, I saw a humming-bird 

 fluttering and crying, but apparently somehow entangled. My approach pos- 

 sibly caused an extra effort on the part of the little creature, for it suddenly 

 darted away. Supposing that it had been caught in some threads that were 

 hanging upon the vine, or in a spider's w eb, I paid no more attention to the 

 circumstance. 



Two or three days after, however, I heard the same cry coming apparently 

 from the same place. I could not, at the moment, lay aside the work that I 

 was engaged in, so that fully two or three minutes elapsed before I could inves- 

 tigate matters. At length on reaching the vine, I saw the same little creature, 

 ( I presume it was the same,) struggling violently but unable to extricate itself. 

 Touched by its piteous cry I rushed to its assistance and took it in my hands. 

 To my astonishment I found it in the clutches of what in my boyish daj's was 

 called a " Johnny-cock-horse ". The color of the insect ( it was grey ) present- 

 ing so little contrast to that of the dusty vine stem to which it was ciiii-.^t.^, 

 prevented me from seeing it until I was close upon it. I took the little bird 

 quickly into the house, and procuring a wide mouthed phial, returned and cap- 

 tured the "Johnny". 



I knew that this insect was known to science by a more dignified name, which 

 however had escaped my memory, and in searching for some description of the 

 animal, 1 found its name — Mantis — and at the same time learned that in 

 South America this creature is strong enough to capture, and bloodthirsty 

 enough to destroy small birds. 



This bird was wounded under the wing, upon one side of the breast, which 

 had evidently been lacerated with the powerful mandibles of its captor. The 

 wound looked ugly enough to lead me to fear that it would prove fatal, never- 

 theless my children and I cared for it as tenderly as we knew how, but we found 



