42 Bulletin 185. 



ing beneficial insect that lias now establislied itself in New York, 

 and to which the following account of its characteristics and inter- 

 esting habits is addressed. 



How THE Insect Looks. 



The principal characteristics of this new insect friend are well 

 shown in the reproductions from photographs taken from life, nat- 

 ural size, in figure 12. It is a large, slender, conspicuous insect, 

 unlike any other insects in this country north of southern New 

 Jersey and Pennsylvania. It presents such a striking and rather 

 ungainly appearance that one could scarcely fail to recognize it. 

 But it might easily escape one's notice, for it often remains practi- 

 cally motionless for hours, and its peculiar attitude and shape, with 

 the fact that some of the specimens are light brown in color while 

 others are apple green, causes them to closely resemble the branch 

 among the leaves of which they may be patiently waiting for their 

 prey. Some other species of these extraordinary insects have wings 

 which resemble the leaves of plants in form and coloring. The 

 insect varies considerably in size, the females usually being the 

 larger. The specimens shown at c in figure 12 are nymphs or 

 immature forms ; note that the wings are mere pads on the sides of 

 tlie body. The most striking characters of the insect are the great 

 length of the tirst segment of the thorax, it being the largest seg- 

 ment of the body, and the enlarged front legs, which are peculiarly 

 fitted for grasping, and being armed witli spines, to hold their prey 

 when captured. 



Its Name. 



These extraordinary insects were known to the ancient Greeks as 

 Mantes^ a word meaning a prophet. Mouffet writing over three 

 hundred years ago says: "They are called Mantes^ that h fore- 

 tellers.^ either because by their coming (for they first of all ap])ear) 

 tliey do show the spring to be at hand, so Anacreon the poet sang; 

 or else they foretell death and famine, as Caelius the Scoliast of 

 Theocritus has observed ; or lastly, because it always holds up its 

 fore feet like hands praying as it were, after the manner of their 

 Diviners, who in that gesture did pour out their supplications to 

 their Gods." Another writer states that the name of Mantes was 



