338 TRANSFORMATIONS OF INSECTS. 



them ; and they inflict great losses upon merchants, as well as 

 upon householders. They do not lay their eggs one by one in 

 different places, but they shut them up in a sort of capsule, which 

 is rather leathery, and they carry it about with them until the 

 young are about to escape ; they then help the little ones to get 

 out of this bag, and at first are very attentive to them. 



The Blatta Americana is very common, and may be frequently 

 noticed in the cargoes of ships. The engraving on page 337 

 /epresents the larva and two adults of this kind. 



Blatta Oricntalis, which is not so large as that just noticed, 

 has its wings very badly developed. It is common in towns, 

 and is particularly fond of hiding up in the cracks of chimneys, 

 and of only appearing at night time. The larvae when first born 

 are quite white, and resemble their parents in form, but change 

 their skins six times before they become perfect. 



There is one gfeat family of the OrtJioptera the species of which 

 are all carnivorous, and there are no insects which have such 

 an extraordinary appearance as these MantidcB. Their strange 

 attitudes, their great and strong limbs and leaf-like shapes, com- 

 bined with the great slowness of their movements, do not make 

 them look at all like bloodthirsty creatures. They have a narrow 

 body, a very long prothorax, and a very movable head, which has 

 large eyes and sharp and trenchant mandibles. They have 

 large wings, front legs admirably adapted for seizing their prey, 

 and the others are slender. The Mantidcs are generally large 

 and fresh-coloured, and sometimes the posterior wings, which 

 are always more or less transparent, are very prettily ornamented 

 and coloured. They crawl on bushes, where they remain per- 

 fectly immobile hour after hour with the front of the body erect 

 and with their front legs folded. This perfect quietude does not 

 raise any suspicions in the insects which are flying about, but if 

 an unfortunate fly comes too close the Mantis extends its foot 

 rapidly and too surely. The Mantidcs cover their eggs with 

 a kind of capsule, which they hang on plants. 



The eggs are laid towards the end of summer, and the young 

 larvae escape and grow like all the other OrtJioptera. The species 

 of this family inhabit the hot parts of Europe and the tropics, 

 and wherever they are seen, their positions, apparently so niedi- 



