46 Bulletin 185. 



as many there this year. T know of one being found recently on 

 the east side of the river, from Seneca Park, I think." 



This beneficial insect is thus apparently well established in the 

 vicinity of Rochester where it is slowly spreading. We shall 

 endeavor to establish it at Ithaca. It will be a very welcome addi- 

 tion to tlie insect fauna of Xew York. 



Its Habits and Life-Histoky. 



The Praying Mantes, unlike most other members of the great 

 order Ortlioptera (the crickets, grasshoppers, walking-sticks and 

 cockroaches), which are mostly vegetable feeders, are carnivorous, 

 usually eating only living insects and otiier small animals. Mr. 

 Atwood writes us that " their diet is not confined absolutely to 

 insects, as a little girl in our neighborhood holds them by the thorax 

 and gives them crumbs of bread which they take readily and 

 eat." 



As Mouffet quaintly said more than three hundred years ago : 

 " They resemble the Diviners in the elevation of their hands, so also 

 in likeness of motion ; for they do not sport themselves as others do, 

 nor leap, nor play, but walking softly, they retain their modesty, 

 and shewes forth a kind of mature gravity." They move about 

 rather slowly and ungainly, and often wait for hours in the attitude 

 shown at a in figure 12 for some unwary creature to come within 

 reach. When prey is sighted, they often creep up silently, much 

 like a cat, and when close enough make a quick dash, seizing their 

 prey with their spined forelegs, as shown at h in figure 12. The 

 power they can exert in holding their prey is surprising as we have 

 learned when they grasped our finger when handling them. 



Both sexes possess well developed Avings, and the males are said 

 to fly some after sunset, but the female does not fly, but sometimes 

 uses her wings to ease herself from a higher to a lower elevation, 

 also when in battle, or when pouncing upon her prey, at which time 

 she hoists them very much as does a swan when irritated. 



There are many interesting and sometimes startling accounts of 

 the voracity and bloodthirstiness of these creatures. 



Our common southern species {S. Carolina) has been known *to 

 attack butterflies, grasshoppers and caterpillars of various kinds, 



