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MANTIS. MANTIS. 
Generic Character. 
Caput nutans, maxillosum, 
pal pis instruct um. 
Antenna setace®. 
Thorax linearis. 
Ala cpiatuor, membran- 
aceae, convolutae; inferi- 
ores plicatae. 
Pedes antici compressi, 
subtus serrato-denticu- 
lati, armati ungue soli- 
tario et digito setaceo 
]aterali articulate; postici 
quatuor laeves, gressorii. 
Head unsteady, armed with 
jaws, and furnished with 
palpi or feelers. 
Antenna setaceous. 
Thorax linear. 
Wings four, membranace- 
ous, convoluted ; the 
lower pair pleated. 
Fore-legs, in most species, 
compressed, serrated be- 
neath, and armed with a 
single claw and a setace- 
ous, lateral, jointed foot. 
Hind-legs smooth, formed 
for walking. 
TPhIS is one of the most singular genera in the 
whole class of Insects, and imagination itself can 
hardly conceive shapes more strange than those 
exhibited by some particular species. 
The chief European kind is the Mantis oratoria 
of Linngeus, or Camel-Cricket, as it is often called. 
This insect, which is a stranger to the British 
isles, is found in most of the warmer parts of 
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