MEANS OF DEFENCE OF INSECTS^. 221 



Other insects, of various tribes, represent the leaves 

 of plants, living, decaying, and dead ; some in their 

 colour, and some both in their colour and shape. The 

 caterpillar of a moth {Noctua Ligustri, F.) that feeds 

 upon the privet, is so exactly of the colour of the un- 

 derside of the leaf, upon which it usually sits in the 

 day-time, that you may have the leaf in your hand and 

 yet not discover it". — -The tribe of grasshoppers, called 

 Lociistce by Fabricius, though the true Locust does not 

 belong to it, in the veining, colour, and texture of 

 their elytra, resemble green leaves''. — The genera 

 Mantis and Phasma — named praying-insects and spec- 

 tres—also of the Orthoptcra order, often exhibit the 

 same peculiarity. — Others of them, by the spots and 

 mixtures of colour observable in these organs, repre- 

 sent leaves that are decaying in various degrees. — 

 Those of several species o^ Mantis likewise imitate dry 

 leaves, and so exactly, by their opacity, colour, rigi- 

 dity, and veins, that, were no other part of the ani- 

 mal visible, even after a close examination, it w ould be 

 generally affirmed to be nothing but a dry leaf. Of 

 this nature is the Mantis siccifolia, F., and two or three 

 Brazilian species in my cabinet, that seem undescribed, 

 w hicli I will show you when you give me an opportu- 

 nity. But these imitations of dry leaves are not con- 

 lined to the Orthoptera order solely. Amongst the 

 Hemiptera, the Coreus paradoxus^ F., a kind of bug, 

 surprised Sparrman not a little. He was sheltering 

 himself from the mid-day sun, when the air w as so still 



* Brahm InseMen Kalender, ii. 383. 



'' Hence we have Locusta dtr'ifnUu, laurifoUa, camellifoUa, myrfifotia, 

 talvifoUa, &c. 



