INSECTS THAT LOOK LIKE STia 



143 



Insects That Look Like Sticks. 



It starts ; it moves ; it seems to mani- 

 fest life and yet looks like a mass of walk- 

 ing- sticks, especially when we see several 

 together as sometimes occurs, though 

 usually they are found singly. 



We are indebted to Miss Linda Wor- 

 rell, Sound Beach, Connecticut, for the 

 contril)ution of an interesting" specimen, 



MISS WORRELL'S STICK INSECT. 



deep brown in color and closely resem- 

 bling a twig. Others are sometimes seen 

 of a rich green, harmonizing closely with 

 the grass and leaves. It is a startling ex- 

 perience to see a mass of these animated 

 twigs. I shall never forget the experi- 

 ence I had when a boy, as I sat on a fence 

 and was thoroughly frightened by what 

 I supposed to be dead twigs come to life, 

 as several were moving on the groimd 

 and a few on the fence. I was astonished 

 as Professor Comstock says one is apt to 

 be when seeing the twigs supposed to be 

 stiff and motionless suddenly walk off on 

 long slender legs as awkwardly as if they 



had never tried to walk before, lie says. 



"Strange and uncanny creatures are 

 these walking-sticks with their long point- 

 ed bodies and with legs colored and look- 

 ing exactly like twigs and leaf-])etioles. 



In the tropics their resemblance to fol- 

 iage is made more perfect by wings wdiich 

 are veined like leaves. In the Northern 

 States we have only one common spec- 

 ies, Diapheromera femorata, and that is 

 wingless. Walking-sticks feed u|:)on 

 foliage. Their eggs, which are large, are 

 dropped on the ground under the trees by 

 the mother, who trusts entirely to fate to 

 preserve them." 



He is right in his statement that the 

 eggs are large. For the first time in my 

 life I have seen a quantity of the eggs. 

 They were laid by this specimen in a box 

 in which it was put. They somewhat re- 

 semble the large eggs of the caterpillar 

 but have peculiar markings on one end. I 

 had planned to illustrate them but they 

 were accidentally crushed. I hope some- 

 time to obtain others. 



Considers Scoke an Antidote. 



Stamford, Connecticut. 

 To the Editor : 



In the recent number of The; Guide; 

 TO Nature you speak of the poison 

 ivy or mercury. I write to say that I 

 keep a plant growing in my garden the 

 root of which is an antidote for vegetable 

 poisons. It is called by different names 

 — scoke, poke, etc. In the spring of the 

 year the young shoots make the best 

 kind of "greens." The fat root, which 

 is poison, is the part used to counteract 

 the poison. It is sliced and boiled in 

 water for ten or fifteen minutes. With 

 the w^ater from the boiled root wash the 

 parts effected from one to three times 

 and vou will be entirely cured. I have 

 never known it to fail. I now have the 

 plants with both blossoms and fruit. If 

 any of your friends get poisoned I will 

 give them a root. I shall he glad to 

 show any one the plant. 

 Yours truly, 



A. C. Arnold. 



Valley Lilies. 



Half hidden in their sheath-like leaves, 



These tiny, ivory bells 

 Ring out sweet perfume on the air, 



Which straight the secret tells. 



— Emma Peirce. 



