ANIMALS AS PRIZE-FIGHTERS 35 



stealthily creeps up to within striking distance and 

 makes a sudden pounce upon them. 



Some species are brightly coloured and resemble 

 flowers, thereby enticing their prey to their 

 doom. 



On the other hand, certain kinds rely upon con- 

 cealment as a means of capturing their victims, and 

 assume the colour of their surroundings in order to 

 hide their presence. Only living creatures satisfy 

 the voracious appetite of the mantes, such fare as 

 grasshoppers, flies and caterpillars being devoured 

 with relish. 



Many curious stories have been related in regard 

 to these insects. According to an old legend, 

 recorded in CasselVs Natural History : ' ... St. 

 Francis Xavier, on seeing a mantis moving slowly 

 along with its fore-legs raised as if in devotion, 

 desired it to sing the praises of God, which it imme- 

 diately did in a very beautiful canticle.' 



We are also told that the Greeks considered it to 

 have supernatural powers, while Mr. J. F. Ward 

 writes : ' In Nubia, the Hottentots regard a mantis 

 with the greatest reverence, and should one alight 

 on an individual he is recognised as selected of 

 heaven, and at once becomes a saint ; but woe to 

 the native that kills a mantis ; he becomes no longer 

 a skilled hunter, but is ill-fated until the end of 

 his days.' 



The Turks and Arabs also regard the creature 

 with a curious degree of respect, believing that it 

 always turns its head towards Mecca. 



Mantes are found chiefly in the warmer regions 



