About sunrise, August 28, 1880, Mr. Rust's attention was attracted by a pair of mantis, whether _Mantis religiosa_ or not, he was not sure, but from the length of the body and the shortness of the wings he was inclined to think them of some other species. The female had her arms tightly clasped around the head of the male, while his left arm was around her neck. Mr. Rust watched intently to see whether the embrace was one of war or for copulation. It proved to be both. As the two abdomens began to approach each other the female made a ferocious attack upon the male, greedily devouring his head, a part of the body, and all the arm that had encircled her neck. A moment after the eating began, Mr. Rust observed a complete union of the sexual organs, and the eating and copulation went on together. On being forcibly separated the female exhibited signs of fear at her headless mate, and it was with difficulty that they were brought together again. On being suddenly tossed upon the back of the female the male seized her with a grasp from which she could not extricate herself, and immediately the sexual union was renewed, to all appearances as perfectly as before. The pair were accidentally killed, otherwise, Mr. Rush thinks, the female would have continued her cannibalistic repast until she had devoured the entire body of her companion. This peculiarity of the mantis seems not to have been observed before, though their mutually destructive disposition has been noted by several. Desiring to study the development of these insects, M. Roesel raised a brood of them from a bag of eggs. Though plentifully supplied with flies, the young mantis fought each other constantly, the stronger devouring the weaker, until but one was left. M. Poiret was not more successful. When a pair of mantis were put together in a glass they fought viciously, the fight ending with the decapitation of the male and his being eaten by the female. * * * * * VARIEGATION OF LEAVES. BY JAMES HOGG. At the meeting of the Association of Nurserymen in Chicago, last July, one of our prominent horticulturists described leaf variegation as a disease. Incidentally this brought up the question: Does the graft affect the stock upon which it is inserted?