One remark before proceeding: all the nests I have obtained in the laboratory--and I have obtained a good number--have without exception been built upon the wire gauze of the covers. I have been careful to provide the insects with roughened stones and tufts of thyme, both being very commonly used as foundations in the open fields. The captives have always preferred the network of wire gauze, which affords a perfectly firm foundation, as the soft material of the nest becomes incrusted upon the meshes as it hardens. In natural conditions the nests are never in any way sheltered; they support the inclemencies of winter, resist rain, wind, frost, and snow, without becoming detached. It is true that the female always selects an uneven support on which the foundations of the nest can be shaped, thus obtaining a firm hold. The site chosen is always the best obtainable within reach, and the wire gauze is constantly adopted as the best foundation obtainable in the cages. The only Mantis that I was able to observe at the moment of laying her eggs worked upside-down, clinging to the wire near the top of the cover. My presence, my magnifying-glass, my investigations did not disturb her in the least, so absorbed was she in her labours. I was able to lift up the dome of wire gauze, tilt it, reverse it, turn it over and reverse it again, without causing the insect to delay her task for a moment. I was able, with my tweezers, to raise the long wings in order to observe rather more closely what was taking place beneath them; the Mantis took absolutely no notice of me. So far all was well; the female did not move, and lent herself impassively to all the indiscretions of the observer. Nevertheless, matters did not proceed as I had wished, so rapid was the operation and so difficult observation. The end of the abdomen is constantly immersed in a blob of foam, which does not allow one to grasp the details of the process very clearly. This foam is of a greyish white, slightly viscous, and almost like soapsuds. At the moment of its appearance it adheres slightly to the end of a straw plunged into it. Two minutes later it is solidified and no longer adheres to the straw. In a short time its consistency is that of the substance of an old nest. [Illustration: 1. THE MANTIS DEVOURING THE MALE IN THE ACT OF MATING. 2. THE MANTIS COMPLETING HER NEST. 3. GOLDEN SCARABAEI CUTTING UP A LOB-WORM.]