130 Cockroaches, Locusts, Grasshoppers, and Crickets 



Grande and Gulf coast regions. All the species are carnivorous, and 

 undoubtedly do much good in making away with many noxious insects. In 

 1899 some specimens of the common European praying-mantis, Mantis 



religiosa (Fig. 161), were found in and 

 near Rochester, N. Y. They had 

 probably been accidentally imported 

 into this country in nursery stocks from 

 France. As this species seems able 

 to live farther north than our native 

 species, Professor Slingerland is laud- 

 ably trying to establish it in our coun- 

 try. He takes care of a colony, and 

 is distributing many of the egg-cases 

 over the entire country. All the man- 

 tids lay their eggs in curious masses 

 (Figs. 162 and 163), covered with a 

 quickly drying tough mucus. These 

 egg-cases are attached to branches and 

 plant-stems in the fall, and the young 

 hatch in the following summer and 

 soon grow (moulting several times 

 and developing wings) to full stature, 

 which for our most common native 

 species, Stagmomantis Carolina, is 

 about z\ inches long. 



Slingerland has collected a num- 

 ber of the old accounts of the Euro- 

 pean mantis which are of interest as proofs of the light and graceful fancy 

 of some of the early author-naturalists. 

 The ancient Greeks gave the insects 

 the name Mantis, that is, "prophet." 

 Mouffet, writing over three hundred 

 years ago, says: "They are called 

 Mantes, that is, foretellers, either 

 because by their coming (for they first 

 of all appear) they do show the spring 

 to be at hand, so Anacreon the poet 

 sang; or else they foretell death and FIG. 163. Egg-case of praying-mantis, 

 r /-.] .1. c 1- r Mantis religiosa, cut open, showing 



famine, as CaellUS the Scoliast of arrang ement of eggs inside. (Natural 

 Theocritus has observed ; or, lastly, size ) 



because it always holds up its fore feet like hands praying as it were, after 

 the manner of their Diviners, who in that gesture did pour out their sup- 



FIG. 162. Egg-cases of the praying- 

 mantis, Mantis religiosa. (After 

 Slingerland; natural size.) 



