410 



Crcatfurg of Batumi 



the forest, and digs itself a retreat in the 

 cleft of some rock, where it brings forth its 

 young. It is a native of India, in many 

 parts of which it is called the Bajjerkeit. 



MANT1CORA. [See CICINDELID.E.] 



MANTIS : MANTID^E. A genus and 

 family of Orthopterous insects, whose singu- 

 lar appearance, and the grotesque forms they 

 usually assume when lying in wait for their 

 prey, have not only attracted great attention, 

 but have given rise to the most superstitious 

 notions among the vulgar. The Mantiike 

 are characterized by having a narrow and 

 elongated body ; the anterior legs of enor- 

 mous length ; short palpi, terminating in a 

 point ; the tarsi five-jointed, and the wings 

 plaited longitudinally. These insects fre- 

 quent trees and plants ; and the forms and 

 colours of their wings and bodies are so like 

 the leaves and twigs which surround them 

 as to give them remarkable power to elude 

 observation. 



The PRAYING MANTIS (Mantis religi- 

 osa) is of a beautiful green colour, nearly 

 three inches in length, of a slender shape, 

 and in its general sitting posture holds 

 up the two fore-legs, slightly bent, in an 

 attitude resembling that of a person when 

 at prayer ; in which position it will some- 



times remain motionless for several hours. 

 It is termed by the French prie-Dieu. Its 

 food consists of flies and other insects, which 

 it is exceedingly dexterous in catching and 

 retaining. " The monkish legends tell us 

 that St. Francis Xavier, seeing a Mantis 

 moving along in its solemn way, holding up 

 its two fore-legs as in the act of devotion, 

 desired it to sing the praises of God ; where- 

 upon the insect carolled forth a fine can- 

 ticle ! (Ins. Arch., p. 63.) Mouffet, also, in- 

 forms us, that ' so divine a creature is this 

 esteemed, that if a childe ask the way to 

 such a place, she will stretch out one of her 

 feet, and shew him the right way, and seldom 

 or never misse. As she resembleth those 

 diviners in the elevation of her hands, so 

 also in likenesse of motion ; for they do not 

 sport themselves as others do, nor leap, nor 

 play ; but, walking softly, she retains her 

 modesty, and shews forth a mature kind of 

 gravity 1 ' But this gravity (.as Mr. West- 

 wood aptly says) has an object of a very dif- 

 ferent kind to that of the sorcerer. It is 

 thus, after exhibiting a wonderful degree of 

 patience, that, like a cat approaching a 

 mouse, the Mantis moves almost impercep- 

 tibly along, and steals towards its prey, 

 fearful of putting it to flight. When suffi- 

 ciently near, the fore leg is extended to its 



full length, and the insect seized, being im- 

 mediately secured between the tibia and ; 

 femur, where it is held by the numerous \ 

 teeth with which those parts are armed." j 

 These insects are of a very voracious and j 

 pugnacious nature ; and when kept with 

 others of their own species in a state of cap- i 

 tivity, will fight till one or the other is de- ! 



stroyed in the contest Very similar to the 



foregoing is the Mantis precaria. It is of 

 a beautiful green colour, with the thorax j 

 ciliated on each side, and the upper wings j 

 each marked in the middle by a transparent 

 spot. This species is held in the highest ; 

 veneration by some of the ignorant African j 

 tribes. But of all the Mantes, perhaps the j 

 most singular in its appearance is the Empusa j 

 gongylodes, which, from its thin limbs and j 

 the grotesque form of its body, especially in j 

 its dried state, seems to resemble the con- i 

 junction of several fragments of withered I 

 stalks, &c. 



MANTISPA : MANTISPID^E. A genus 1 

 and family of insects belonging to the order ; 

 Neuroptera. They appear to be very closely ; 

 allied to the Henierob'Mve in the general j 

 character of the veins of the wings. The I 

 species are but of small size, of dull colours, 

 and widely dispersed throughout the globe. 

 They chiefly reside upon oaks, and the 

 structure of the fore legs and mouth seems 

 to indicate that their habits are predaceous. 



MARECA. A genus of Palmipede birds, 

 containing the Widgeon (.Mareca Penelope.), 

 [which see.] 



MARGARITACE./E. An order of Mol- 

 lusca, containing several interesting genera ; 

 among which is the Avicula margaritifera, 

 the shell of which produces the most valued 

 Pearls, as well as the greatest quantity of 

 Mother- of-Pearl ; the latter being simply 

 the nacreous interior of the shell. The pearls 

 are separate formations of a similar sub- 

 stance, deposited by the mantle. The best 

 Pearls are generally produced at the point, 

 where the attachment of the adductor muscle 

 causes a roughness in the shell. The gra- 

 dual change which takes place in the posi- 

 tion of this muscle, in accordance with the 

 growth of the animal, causes the detach- 

 ment of the pearl ; and it is generally found 

 imbedded in the substance of the muscle, by 

 the motion of whose fibres its spherical form 

 seems chiefly occasioned. But the formation 

 of Pearls is by no means confined to this 

 species ; for any shell, univalve or bivalve, 

 with a nacreous interior, may produce 

 them. 



MARGAY. (Felis tigrina.) A species of 

 wild cat, native of South America. It is 

 about the size of the common cat ; and is 

 very fierce and untameable. The ground- 

 colour is a bright tawny : the face striped 

 downwards with black ; the shoulders and 

 body marked both with stripes and large 

 oblong black spots ; small spots on the legs ; 

 the breast, belly, and insides of the limbs, 

 whitish : long tail, marked with black and 

 gray. It resides principally on trees, prey- 

 ing on birds ; and seldom brings forth more 

 than two young ones at a hi Jh. 



