INSECT ACTORS 117 



plants, of keeping up a constant, gentle, fanning 

 motion of the wings, which, when seen from a 

 short distance away, gives them the appearance 

 of a snake's head in the act of striking. 



Many of the butterflies and moths have large 

 spots on their wings that closely resemble great 

 eyes, and serve to frighten off small birds and 

 beasts. There is a very pretty Canadian moth, 

 called the " Peacock Moth " from the eye markings 

 on the under-wings, which, like our Lappet Moth, 

 rests during the hours of bright daylight amongst 

 the brown autumn foliage. But this Peacock 

 Moth appears to be even better protected from 

 its foes than the Lappet Moth, for it has, 

 near the margin of each under-wing, a large 

 and beautifully coloured eye-spot, which, in com- 

 bination with the general markings of the wings, 

 has the appearance, when suddenly viewed from 

 above, of the face of a small owl. As this moth 

 crawls over the leaves preparatory to taking 

 flight the motion of the wings heightens the 

 effect of the eye-spots to a most remarkable 

 degree, so that they appear to move as if 

 actually watching some object. 



There are certain insects that use their 

 deceptive talents in an aggressive, instead of 

 a defensive, manner. Chief amongst these are 

 the Mantidce. They are entirely carnivorous 

 in their habits, and use their alluring colours to 

 attract the flies and other insects upon which 

 they feed. 



The Mantidae have a wide distribution and 

 vary considerably in different parts of the world, 

 but all are distinguished by the great length of 



