120 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 
In what a different light does the naturalist look upon 
the Mantis! This cowardly and cruel insect, which is it- 
self afraid of a little ant, can only be regarded as in the 
attitude of those whom the poet describes as 
“Borrowing the livery of Heaven to serve the Devil in,” 
if its position may be allowed any practical association at 
all. It holds up its anterior tibia merely for the purpose 
of catching and destroying flies, caterpillars, plant-lice, and 
other luckless insects who may come within the reach of its 
forcep-like fore feet. 
These insects, according to the observation of all natural- 
ists, are very warlike, voracious, and, did our limits allow, 
we should quote many very interesting accounts of them 
from the works of that eminent German entomologist, 
Roesel. Like Reaumure, in France, he was occupied the 
ereatest part of his life in making observations concerning 
the life, habits, manners, use, and injury of insects; and 
published the result of his labors in four volumes, from 
1746 to 1761, under the title Jnsecten Belustigungen—* En- 
tomological Amusements.” Roesel was born in Germany 
in 1705, was a contemporary of Linnus, Buffon, Tourne- 
fort, and Jussieu. In the early part of his life he practiced 
miniature painting in Nuremberg, but afterward devoted 
himself entirely to the representation of insects, which he 
drew from nature with uncommon accuracy. He then 
wrote his valuable and classical work on that branch of 
Natural History, and illustrated it with plates. He died 
in 1759. 
To witness the warlike disposition and cruelty of these 
soothsayers, it is only necessary to put several of them in a 
box together, when they will immediately commence fight- 
ing, furiously striking at each other with their long fore 
legs. The males are considerably smaller than the females, 
and in these encounters generally fall victims to the vo- 
