Rural School Leaflet 



1265 



While the Insect is at rest, the front legs are held up in the attitude of 



prayer, " but the only prayer that could 



ever enter the mind of a mantis would 



be that some unwary insect might come 



near enough for him to grab it with his 



hypocritical claws and so get a meal." 



The appearance of the insect is well shown 



in the illustration taken several years ago 



by Professor Slingerland. 



Story of its life. — The eggs of the mantis 

 are laid in a large thick light brown mass, 

 known as an egg case, or ootheca. Two 

 of these egg cases are shown in the ac- 

 companying illustration. They are often 

 found attached to branches of trees, stems 

 of grasses, or the sides of houses during 

 the winter, for the eggs are laid in the 

 fall and remain unhatched until the fol- 

 lowing spring. During the last of May or 

 the fore part of June the eggs hatch. The 

 young mantes grow slowly, gradually ac- 

 quire wings, and finally become adults 

 during the first part of August. There is 



Two egg cases of the praying mantis 



Adult praying mantis 



but one generation a year, and probably many 

 of the nymphs that hatch from a single egg 

 case die before they ever become fully gi^own. 



TJie habits and the usefulness of this insect. — 

 The praying mantis belongs to the saine group 

 of insects as do the grasshoppers and the 

 crickets. It, therefore, has biting mouth- 

 parts but does not eat plants. Its food con- 

 sists almost wholly of other insects, many of 

 which are serious pests of farm crops. The 

 praying mantis, therefore, is a great aid to 

 man in fighting insect enemies and is 

 entitled to respect and protection. Its 

 movements are slow and deliberate, and, 

 when its prey is sighted, it often "creeps 

 up silently much like a cat, and when 

 close enough makes a quick dash, seizing 

 its prey with its spined forelegs." It is 

 ■^^erv voraeiovis and eats several insects 



each day if it has the good luck to fmd them. 



80 



