130 
NATURE NOTES. 
The “ strike ” is short, sharp, and generally decisive, unless 
the prey happens to be a little too far off, which is sometimes 
the case. The green mantis, which I have also under observa- 
tion for the sake of comparison, never makes this mistake, but 
always waits until the prey is safely within range before darting 
out the death-dealing arms. The mantis, however, is much 
more sluggish in its nature and not so interesting a pet as my 
little neuropter, about whom there is a very human air of cute- 
ness and alacrity which at once arrests the attention. She is 
playful, too, at times, stretching her arms and clawing at the 
glass like a cat at the leg of a table or chair. She will occasion- 
ally stand upright against the glass and then bend backwards 
like an accomplished gymnast, at the same time making violent 
demonstrations with the muscular arms ; I have even seen 
her catch a fly on the wing with one of these same useful 
appendages ; a feat illustrative of her quickness and agility. 
After a fly has been despatched the “ arms ” are carefully 
cleaned, between the spines and so on, with the mandibles, and 
then the latter are cleaned in their turn by the “ arms,” which 
are also employed to give the head a good polish all over. 
And now as to personal appearance ; in figure my pet is 
elongated, but not nearly so slender as her distant cousin, the 
lace-wing fly [Chvysopa). Her most striking features are the 
strong folded forelegs, looking like a big comforter on the neck, 
and the long, straight, reticulated wings, which project over the 
body, and are four in number. They are clear except for a very 
slight brownish tinge, and have a narrow brown margin, which 
does not’ extend to their termination. The head, antennae, 
thorax, and upper surface of the body are black, or nearly so, 
the "latter having a double series of light, yellowish markings 
along it ; the underside is a light grey with a black streak along 
the centre. Along each side of the body runs a broad, pink 
stripe, the legs are red, as is also the extremity of the body. 
This pretty creature has laid three batches of eggs while in 
captivity ; they are very small, oval, and yellowish in hue ; the 
last batch, however, which numbers several hundreds, is almost 
white. They are laid upon the surface of a gum leaf which 
adorns the floor of my pet’s boudoir. 
H. Stuart Dove. 
Table Cape, Tasmania. 
Robin’s Nest. — This spring a robin paid regular visits to this house, flying 
from room to room, and silting especially on some bulrushes in the hall. Both 
here and in one of the bedrooms it laid an egg and ultimately built its nest on the 
top of a cornice in an inhabited bed-room opposite the other. Early in the 
morning the bird’s song outside the window aroused the inmate of the room, and 
she always rose and admitted the little builder. After spending much time and 
labour on the work, the bird deserted the nest ; and when house-cleaning opera- 
tions began, the servants found that the nest, which was unusually large, was 
completed, and contained one egg. 
Dean's Court, Wimbornc. M. S. Laidlaw. 
