in the case of other members of the Mantis family. It is, I must
admit, a general habit. The little grey Mantis, so small and looking so
harmless in her cage, which never seeks to harm her neighbours in spite
of her crowded quarters, falls upon her male and devours him as
ferociously as the Praying Mantis. I have worn myself out in trying to
procure the indispensable complements to my female specimens. No sooner
is my capture, strongly winged, vigorous and alert, introduced into the
cage than he is seized, more often than not, by one of the females who
no longer have need of his assistance and devoured. Once the ovaries are
satisfied the two species of Mantis conceive an antipathy for the male;
or rather they regard him merely as a particularly tasty species of
game.

CHAPTER VII

THE MANTIS.--THE NEST

Let us take a more pleasant aspect of the insect whose loves are so
tragic. Its nest is a marvel. In scientific language it is known as the
_ootek_, or the "egg-box." I shall not make use of this barbarous
expression. As one does not speak of the "egg-box" of the titmouse,
meaning "the nest of the titmouse," why should I invoke the box in
speaking of the Mantis? It may look more scientific; but that does not
interest me.

The nest of the Praying Mantis may be found almost everywhere in places
exposed to the sun: on stones, wood, vine stocks, the twigs of bushes,
stems of dried grass, and even on products of human industry, such as
fragments of brick, rags of heavy cloth, and pieces of old boots. Any
support will suffice, so long as it offers inequalities to which the
base of the nest may adhere, and so provide a solid foundation. The
usual dimensions of the nest are one and a half inches long by
three-quarters of an inch wide, or a trifle larger. The colour is a pale
tan, like that of a grain of wheat. Brought in contact with a flame the
nest burns readily, and emits an odour like that of burning silk. The
material of the nest is in fact a substance similar to silk, but instead
of being drawn into a thread it is allowed to harden while a mass of
spongy foam. If the nest is fixed on a branch the base creeps round it,
envelops the neighbouring twigs, and assumes a variable shape according
to the accidents of support; if it is fixed on a flat surface the under
side, which is always moulded by the support, is itself flat. The nest
then takes the form of a demi-ellipsoid, or, in other words, half an egg
cut longi