Stick and Leaf 

 Insects 



THE JOINTED ANIMALS 



families of Cursorial Orthoptera, and, in addition to the easity recog- 

 nized shape of their bodies, are distinguished by the following charac- 

 teristics: The head is distinctly visible from above, and is set somewhat 

 obliquely, with, the mouth placed well forward on the under side. The short pro- 

 thorax is much shorter, as a rule, than the next segment, or mesothorax. The legs 

 which, in shape, usually harmonize with the shape of the body, are inserted some- 

 what close to the sides of the thorax, those of each pair being separated from one 

 another by a rather broad sternal plate; the tarsi are five jointed, and exhibit a pad- 

 like lobe between the claws of the terminal joint. In the stick insects the trunk is 

 long, narrow, and cylindrical; the legs are generally long, and, when stretched out 

 unsymmetrically from the body, as they habitually are in the resting insect, look 

 like smaller branches coming off from a thicker, jointed stem. Many stick insects 

 have no wings at any stage of their life, and it is difficult, in such cases, to distin- 

 guish the adult insects from some of the older larvae. In the winged species the 

 fore-wings are usually very short, and often cover only a small part of the hind 



ONE OF THE STICK INSECTS OF SOUTH EUROPE (Bacillus TOSSi) AND ITS LARVA. 



(Natural size.) 



pair; the latter exhibit a division into two distinct areas one more membranous 

 and transparent, and often brightly colored; the other, which is narrower, and 

 placed next the anterior border, being colored like the elytra. When the wings are 

 at rest, the brightly -colored portion is folded beneath the other part, which alone is 

 then exposed to view, so that there is nothing to detract from the general stick-like 

 appearance of the body. These insects are usually found among underwood, or on 

 shrubs and the stems of long grasses. They are mostly inactive during the day, 

 and are not easily seen owing to the way in which their form and colors harmonize 

 with their surroundings. They roam about at night, and feed upon leaves. Most 

 inhabit tropical and subtropical countries, and among them are some of the largest 

 insects known, more than one measuring over thirteen inches in length. Two spe- 

 cies are found in South Europe, belonging to the genus Bacillus, and are both wing- 

 less forms of rather small size. One of these is figured in the illustration; and, as 

 examples of some of the more finely-colored tropical forms, two species from the is- 

 land of Borneo are represented on the colored plate of Orthoptera. 



