ORTHOPTERA 



79 





attitude assumed by the forelegs, which really, however, are merely 

 held ready to quickly grasp any unwary insect prey which may 



come within reach. 



Early writers on natural history 

 had many curious fancies concern- 

 ing this insect, which are evinced by 

 the name of our most common spe- 

 cies, Mantis religiosa (mantis, ' ' a 

 prophet"), the name undoubtedly 

 referring to the pious attitude. 



FIG. 94. Egg mass of the praying 

 mantis. (Natural size) 



(After Slingerland) 



There are many local names 

 for them, such as rear-horses, 

 devil-horses, etc., while the 

 southern negroes know them 

 as mule killers and other sim- 

 ilar names, from the supersti- 

 tion that the brown saliva from 

 their mouths \vill kill a mule. 

 The eggs are laid in shingled 

 masses, attached to a twig or 

 W 7 eed, and are coated with a 

 hard, gummy covering. The 

 young, as well as the adults, 

 feed on insects and are ex- 

 tremely difficult to rear, as 

 they are rabid cannibals, eating 



FIG. 95. Walking-stick resting on birch 



twig, the leaves of which were attacked by 



the birch-leaf skeletonizer 



(After Weed) 



