THE MANTIS.— THE NEST 97 



Mantis, has to endure through the winter, fixed to a stone 

 or a twig, and is thus exposed to the full severity of the 

 dangerous season. 



The Empusa pauperata, on the other hand (one of the 

 strangest of European insects), builds a nest as small as 

 that of the Ameles, although the insect itself is as large 

 as the Praying Mantis. This nest is quite a small 

 structure, composed of a small number of cells, arranged 

 side by side in three or four series, sloping together at 

 the neck. Here there is a complete absence of the 

 porous envelope, although the nest is exposed to the 

 weather, like the previous examples, afBxed to some 

 twig or fragment of rock. The lack of the insulating 

 rind is a sign of different climatic conditions. The eggs 

 of the Empusa hatch shortly after they are laid, in warm 

 and sunny weather. Not being exposed to the asperities 

 of the winter, they need no protection other than the 

 thin egg-cases themselves. 



Are these nice and reasonable precautions, which 

 rival the experiment of Rumford, a fortuitous result ? — 

 one of the innumerable combinations which fall from 

 the urn of chance ? If so, let us not recoil before the 

 absurd : let us allow that the blindness of chance is 

 gifted with marvellous foresight. 



The Praying Mantis commences her nest at the 

 blunter extremity, and completes it at the pointed 

 tail. The latter is often prolonged in a sort of 

 promontory, in which the insect expends the last drop 

 of glutinous liquid as she stretches herself after her task. 

 A sitting of two hours, more or less, without interruption, 

 is required for the total accomplishment of the work. 

 Directly the period of labour is over, the mother with- 



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