The Mantis: her Hunting 



under my covers, boldly giving battle to 

 whatever comes in sight. Lying in wait 

 among the bushes, she must profit by the fat 

 prizes offered by chance even as, in the wire 

 cage, she profits by the treasures due to my 

 generosity. Those big hunts, full of danger, 

 are no new thing; they form part of her 

 normal existence. Nevertheless they appear 

 to be rare, for want of opportunity, perhaps 

 to the Mantis' deep regret. 



Locusts of all kinds, Butterflies, Dragon- 

 flies, large Flies, Bees and other moderate- 

 sized captures are what we usually find in 

 the lethal limbs. Still the fact remains that, 

 in my cages, the daring huntress recoils be- 

 fore nothing. Sooner or later, Grey Locust 

 and Decticus, Epeira and Tryxalis are har- 

 pooned, held tight between the saws and 

 crunched with gusto. The facts are worth 

 describing. 



At the sight of the Grey Locust who has 

 heedlessly approached along the trelliswork 

 of the cover, the Mantis gives a convulsive 

 shiver and suddenly adopts a terrifying pos- 

 ture. An electric shock would not produce 

 a more rapid effect. The transition is so 

 abrupt, the attitude so threatening that the 

 observer beholding it for the first time at 



