174 The Orders of Insects 



the legs are extremely large and powerl'ul, these insects running 

 very swiftly. The eggs are contained in a purse-shaped capsule. 

 Wings are usually present, but are often vestigial or absent. Cock- 

 roaches live in concealed situations among leaves, or beneath stones 

 or bark, wliere they lurk during the day, coming out to feed at 

 night, on all kind of substances. They are abundant in tropical 

 countries, but become rare in the north, though several species which 

 frequent houses and ships — Blatta oricntalis , Phyllodrom'ia german'ica {^'g. 

 94) and Periplaneta americana — for example, have been carried to all 

 parts of tlie world. 



Mantidae. — The Mantida or "Praying Insects" are easily 

 recognised by the possession of a very long prothorax, and a pair 

 of powerful front legs adapted for seizing prey. These limbs have 

 elongate haunches, and the thighs and shins bear formidable spines 

 on their inner edges. The head is readily movable, being joined 

 to the forebody by a flexible neck ; it is broad from side to side, 

 the prominent compound eyes being widely separated ; three simple 

 eyes are present above and between the slender feelers. The wings 

 are more highly modified than those of Cockroaciies, the costal area 

 — in front of the sub-costal nervure — of the forewings, and the anal 

 (folding) area — behind the anal nervure — of the hindwings being 

 especially large. The cercopods, as in cockroaches, are niany- 

 jointed. Female Mantids enclose their eggs in curious cases ; 

 these are formed by tiie action of the tips of the forewings out of 

 a sticky secretion wliich iiardens after exposure to tiie air. The 

 egg-case is attached to a twig or stone, and contains numerous 

 chambers, wherein the eggs lie. After leaving their chambers, 

 the young Mantids hang from the egg-case by threads attached to 

 the cercopods, until after the first moult. 



Mantids are sluggish in their motions, creeping stealthily on 

 their prey (small insects, etc.) till within striking distance, when 

 the victim is suddenly seized by the spiny fore-legs. The bodies 

 and wings of Mantids are usually green, agreeing closely in colour 

 with the plants whereon they live ; in some cases the prothorax, 

 and the legs of the two hind pairs are flattened and leaf-like. These 

 insects are numerous in all tropical countries, but are absent from 

 cooler regions ; only a dozen species represent the family in southern 

 Europe (109 b). 



Phasmidae. — In the Phasmida: the mesothorax, and not the 

 prothorax, is the longest segment of the forebody. The tiiree pairs 

 of legs are all closely alike ; the cercopods are not jointed, each 

 consisting of a single flattened piece. The forewings are usually 

 very much reduced, while the hindwings are often extensive, with 

 large delicate anal area, capable of fan-like folding beneath the 

 firmer front portion of the wing; frequently, however, both pairs 

 of wings are reduced to mere scales, or entirely wanting, especially 

 in the females, which are often larger than their mates. The bodies 

 of Phasmids are, as a rule, greatly lengthened, and the legs long and 



