134 



ORTHOPTEIJA. 



-r^ 



injui-y in our gardens, by devouring the fruit and destroy- 

 ing the petals of oui' favourite flowers. They manifest 

 great care and attention towards 

 their young, guarding them with 

 parental instinct, and defending 

 them by means of the powerful 

 forceps appended to the hinder 

 part of their body. 



The Cockroaches (Blatta), sup- 

 posed to have been originally im- 

 i^orted from Asia, now swarm in 

 this country, esi^ecially in the 

 underground kitchens of London 

 and other large cities. They 

 Fig. 89.-EARWIG ON THE WING, dcvour all kiuds of provisions, 

 and even gnaw flannels, shoes, and other animal sub- 

 stances. They are nocturnal in their habits, coming out 

 of their holes after all has become dark and quiet, and 

 sometimes in such numbers that, if a candle be suddenly 

 brought into the room, the floor will appear quite black 

 with these annoying intruders, yet in a few moments all 

 of them disappear. The eggs of these insects are enclosed 

 in an egg-case of very curious structure, which is fre- 

 quently to be met with in the crevices of walls, behind 

 shutters, and in similar places of concealment ; this box 

 the female carries about with her for some time attached 

 to her body, but at length she fixes it to the selected spot 

 by means of a sort of gummy cement. 



The Leaf Insects {3Iantis) are the most remarkable 

 of the Cursorial Orthoptera. No Parisian manufactm'er 

 of artificial flowers could more successfully imitate the 

 l^roductions of Flora, than these insects are made to 

 counterfeit the branches and the foliage of the shrubs 

 they frequent, so that while in their natm*al haunts, it is 

 next to impossible for the most practised eye to distin- 

 guish them. The appearance of the leaf insects whilst 

 w^aiting for their prey is very singular. They remain 

 for hours together stationary in the attitude represented 

 in the annexed figure with their fore legs held u]) together 

 like a pair of arms, j^repared to seize any insect that may 

 come within their reach. Hence they have obtained a 

 sort of sacred character amongst the credulous inhabitants 

 of the countries in which they are found, who from a 

 superstitious notion, that while in that attitude they are 



