MANTIS 85 



made every effort in the search. Whereupon, on the 

 thirtieth of May, having received some branches of white- 

 thorn, which presented various deformed and knotty 

 growths, I hoped to witness the desired transformation. 

 I also obtained and closely observed similar growths on 

 branches of Fillerea seconda, and others on sprigs of 

 clematis, called vitalba in Tuscany, but I at last recog- 

 nized the fact that these growths are a natural freak of 

 the plants that occurs every year and does not produce 

 worms. You can examine the accompanying plates, 

 which I gladly send, especially as I believe that the freak 

 or sport has not been noticed before by any writer. 



I hope it will not tire you if I describe another little 

 animal mentioned by Father Kircher, supposed to breed 

 in rotten cane and straw. While with the Court this 

 year at Artiminio, for the hunt, I saw on the broom in 

 the woods an infinite number of queer little creatures, 

 called by the peasants " cavallucci " [mantis]. I found 

 these to be of two sorts ; some were green with two white 

 parallel lines running the length of the body, and the 

 others were rusty red, like the stalks of broom; both 

 kinds have little horns, with many articulations. They 

 move slowly and solemnly. They have six legs, and 

 every leg has three joints; the two forelegs arise just 

 under the part to which the head is attached. The head 

 is very small, less than a grain of wheat; the eyes are 

 hard and upturned, and smaller than a poppy-seed, and 

 are red. All the space between the last pair of legs and 

 the tip of the tail is composed and marked by ten rings, 

 incisions, or knots; and from the last of these knots, 

 two very fine spurs protruded. The whole body is not 

 longer than the width of five fingers, and is of the same 

 size from head to tail; though some are larger in the 



