256 



Marvels of Insect Life. 



C*-^ 



Some of these mantids are coloured differently to enable them to pass the 

 da\' on the wood of dead trees, where, of course, there is always plenty of Insect 

 life. One of these ^ is coloured a dingy yellowish-grey, speckled with black, and 

 the wing-covers are marked with curious black streaks. " If this mantis is seated 

 among dead wood, its co'our makes it inconspicuous ; but if it is among dead 

 fern-fronds, or withered selaginellids, its predatory limbs entirely disappear, owing 

 to their colour and form. Among these leaves, the head and wings, though they 

 are inconspicuous, are not invisible ; the wings may be detected because they are 

 transparent and glary, the head because it is held well raised above the surface 

 on which the Insect is sitting. Seen in such surroundings, there is nothing that would 

 lead a human being to judge that this mantis is a predatory animal." Somewhat 



similar must be the unnamed mantis seen by Mr. 



/^^!h ^V. Tiraham Kerr on the Pilcomayo river. It was living 



i^Jgf j^t/0 wL\ ^'^ tree-branches that were coated with lichens, and 



Wr f^^k. Im) ^^^ ^^^^ ornamentation so exactly resembled these 



that he only detected its real nature when it moved 

 one of its legs. 



It should be noted as an example of totally 

 different habits giving rise to similar adaptations for 

 dissimilar ends, that the walking-leaf, being a defence- 

 less vegetarian, has adopted the leaf-like appearance 

 for protection from Insect-eating enemies. The leaf- 

 like mantis, on the other hand, being able to protect 

 itself, has adopted a similar uniform in order to give 

 confidence to its victims. 



Horned Flies. 



There is a familv of small flies- of whose habits 

 and life-history very little is known, but whose forms 

 are so singular that they deserve at least a passing 

 reference. The character which makes them so 

 remarkable is a horn-like, slender extension from each 

 side of the head which bears the large compound eye 

 at its extremity. This protuberance looks very like 

 the eye-stalk seen in many of the crabs, which allows 

 them to elevate their eyes above the body, and get a good look-out all around ; 

 but in the case of the fly it is not an eye-bearing limb jointed to the head, but 

 a rigid part of the head itself, and it bears not only the eye, but the antenna also. 

 In an African species,^ which is only about a quarter of an inch long, the mea ure- 

 ment from eye to eye is one-third more than the length of the body from head to 

 tail. The three-jointed antennae arc quite short, and might easily be overlooked, 

 for they are attached close up to the eye, and look mon- like some outgrowth for 

 the protection of that organ. The thighs of the lirst pair of legs bear teeth along 

 heir front edge, which indicate that the fly is i)redaceous in its habits, and uses 

 these for the retention or crudiing of it^ prey whilst it is being eaten. 



1 Ceratoniantis saussurei. - Diopsida-. •' l)i()j)sis apicali«. 



Siamese Leaf-Mantis. 



In spite of the dull, dead-leaf-like appearance 

 of the fore-body and wing-covers, the wings 

 arc coloured with deep rnaroon, veined and 

 bordered with white. But it only shows this 

 colour when flying at night. It will be noted 

 that thethighsof the two hinderpairs of limbs 

 have leaf-like expansions to help in the 

 deception. 



