MAPLE MARMOT. 



mental, as in the grasshoppers. The larvae change 

 their skins several times, but arrive at the imago state 

 in about three months. 



The Mantidac are found in situations exposed to 

 the hottest sun, appearing most active in the greatest 

 heat. In the South of France they are much more 

 inactive towards November, and may then easily be 

 caught. At all times, however, it is difficult to escape 

 being wounded by the acute spines of their fore legs, 

 which readily pierce the skin. In some species, 

 indeed, the fore legs are nearly destitute of these 

 spines, and of a short size ; they must, therefore, be 

 Jess carnivorous than the others, conducting naturally 

 to the following family, Phasmidae, in which the fore 

 legs are of the ordinary structure. Some species, 

 forming the genus Eremiaphila, first discovered by 

 Savigny, and more recently by M. Lefebvre, in the 

 desert plains of Egypt, where insects are rarely to be 

 met with, are nevertheless powerfully armed. And 

 hence it has been conjectured that these insects must 

 possess the power of sustaining a long fast. Their 

 movements, moreover, are very slow ; but they differ 

 from the other Mantidce in the colour of the body, 

 which resembles that of sand, upon which they are 

 found. Hence, perhaps, we may attribute to them 

 the possession of a deceptive art in procuring food, of 

 which we have given other instances in our general 

 article, INSECT. 



Mantis. 



These interesting insects are extremely numerous 

 in species, inhabiting the warmer districts of the 

 earth, and reaching as far north as the middle of France. 

 None, however, have been found in this country. 

 They are extremely variable in their forms. The 

 antennae in general are short and simple, but they 

 sometimes acquire a great length, and in the males 

 of some species they are beautifully pectinated. The 

 head itself in some species is ornamented with an 

 elevated tubercle, supporting a leaf-like appendage. 

 The ocelli are three in number ; the eyes large, glo- 

 bular, and lateral ; the prothorax is sometimes furnished 

 with flattened wing-like appendages at the sides, 

 varying in size, and sometimes giving this part of the 

 body a remarkable appearance. The four hind legs 

 are generally single, but in others the femora are 

 furnished near the tips with leaf-like appendages. 

 The wing covers are also very variable in form, and 

 the abdomen is furnished at the extremity with two 

 conical articulated filaments, as in the Blattidae. The 

 males do not appear to be provided with the two 



short threads between the preceding, which are found 

 in the male Blattce, but this sex may be easily dis- 

 tinguished by the number of abdominal segments, o 

 which there are eight in the males, and only six ii 

 the females, on the ventral part ; whereas there appeal 

 to be nine dorsal segments in both sexes. The females 

 are also easily distinguished by the large size of tin 

 terminal segment of the body, which is preceded bj 

 equal sized segments ; whereas the terminal segment it 

 the male is very small, the preceding being very short 

 Latreille united all these insects into a single genui 

 Mantis. M. Serville, however, in his classification of th< 

 Orthoptera, published in the Annales des Science 

 Naturelles, proposed numerous genera founded upot 

 various structural peculiarities, which it is unnecessary 

 to dilate upon in a work like the present, having 

 already noticed the most material modifications t< 

 which these insects are subject. M. Lefebvre has als< 

 added some other genera in his memoir upon tin 

 Eremiaphila, published in the " Annales"of the Ento 

 mological Society of France. 



MAPLE is the acer of botanists, so called fron 

 the sharpness of their juices. There are many species 

 either shrubs or trees ; four of them are British, com 

 mon in hedges. This genus gives a title to one o 

 the natural orders, namely Acerincce. 



MARANTA (Linnaeus). A genus of reed-lik< 

 plants found in the warm parts of America, belonginj 

 to the natural order Cannece. They are nearly allie< 

 to ginger, but the pungent aromatic principle is want 

 ing. The tubers contain much fecula, which is col 

 lected and prepared as food ; and, from its forme 

 use as a cataplasm for arrow-wounds, it is commonlj 

 known under the name of arrow-root. This farina 

 ceous substance is procured from many differen 

 species, but chiefly from M-arundinacea, in the Wesl 

 and from M. allouya and ramosissima,\n the East Indies 

 In our stoves they grow well in light, rich soil, an< 

 are increased bv dividing the roots. 



MARCGR A VI ACE.E. A small natural order o 

 plants, containing four genera and six species. Thi 

 genera are Antholoma, Marcgravia, Norantea, am 

 Ruyschia. They are all very curious half-climbinj 

 shrubs, or small trees, with pitcher or hood-shape< 

 bractse, something resembling the vessels formed bj 

 the metamorphosed leaves and leaf-stalks otCcphalotu 

 and Nepenthes. Of the properties of these plant 

 there is at present nothing known, and even thei 

 station in the system is debatable. There are tw< 

 suborders, namely, Marcgravieae and Norantece. Ii 

 the former, the corolla is calyptriform ; while in th< 

 latter the five petals are free. 



MARMOT (Arctomys, literally " bear rat,"orra 

 having the body formed something like that of a bear] 

 Under the article ARCTOMYS, in its place in th 

 alphabet, there will be found a few remarks on th 

 general characters and habits of this genus of roden 

 tia, and a reference to the present article for UM 

 species, the chief of which we shall now enumerate a 

 briefly as possible ; but, it may not be amiss to men 

 tion the generic characters in brief, because the genus 

 consists of two sections ; or rather, it is a family 

 or group, consisting of two genera, which diffei 

 considerably in their structure. The character! 

 are two very strong incisive teeth in each jaw 

 rounded on their anterior surfaces ; no canines iii 

 either jaw ; five cheek teeth on each side of thf 

 upper, and four on each side of the under, with thcii 

 crowns furnished with ridges, and also with tubercu- 



