ABOUT THE MANTIS
Sir-In The Listener for April 9 "Sundowner’s" #*marks about the praying (or preying) mantis interésted me greatly. Speaking of the "egg-case," he asks, "(Could a mantis complete its task in six or’seven hours?" About 30 years ago I watched a mantis performing that task and was much impressed. This was in China, and the mantis was nearly three inches in length and about threequarters of an inch across her folded wings. The Chinese say that she must devour six or seven males before she is ready to lay her eggs. For this reason, and because of her voracious appetite, many people say "preying" is the right spelling. When first observed, Mrs. Mantis had already made fully half an inch of her egg-case, Her method was to
place a layer of eggs and secretion and after a few minutes move forward, fanning and patting the layer with her wings. When hard enough she backed and deposited another layer. Each layer took from 10 to 15 minutes. Three hours later the job was finished-the case fully two inches long and more than haff an inch wide. > It is with regret that I have to say the hatching out of the young ones was
not seen.
A.
R.
(Auckland).
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19540604.2.12.7
Bibliographic details
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 776, 4 June 1954, Page 5
Word count
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209ABOUT THE MANTIS New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 776, 4 June 1954, Page 5
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
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