346 



NATURAL ARRANGEMENT OF INSECTS. 



that it inhabits. By the attitude it assumes when 

 lurking for its prey, or advancing upon it — which is done 

 by the support of the four posterior slender legs only, 

 whilst the head and prothorax are raised perpendicularly 

 from the body, and the anterior raptorial organs are 

 folded in front, — it greatly resembles a person praying; 

 whence in France it is called le Preeheur ; in Provence, 

 Prego-Dlou ; and in other countries it has similar names. 

 The Turk says it points to Mecca ; and the Hottentot 

 pays it religious observances. Burmeister acquaints us, 

 from the information of Zimmerman, with some singular 

 facts connected with the North American species, the 

 31. Carolina. He says, a specimen he possessed "was 

 caught on the 2d of October; on the 3d, it laid its 

 eggs : this was noted down. I was now prepared to 

 expect the death of my Mantis. This, however, did 

 not take place ; for she continued to devour daily some 

 dozens of flies, and occasionally large grasshoppers 

 and young frogs; and it even consumed lizards three 

 times its own length, as w^ell as many large fat cater- 

 pillars. By this abundant fare, its abdomen began to 

 swell considerably ; and on the S-ith of October, it laid 

 eggs a second time ; and after this business was over, 

 which occupied several hours, it recommenced feeding 

 upon every living thing that was put in its way : its 

 abdomen swelled up again, and I fully expected to see 

 it lay eggs a third time; but this was doubtlessly pre- 

 vented by the increasing cold of the November nights ; 

 and in December, I observed that the tarsi of the crea- 

 ture had dried up and become useless. Its death now 

 evidently approached, and this took place on the 27th 

 of the same month. Whether it was impregnated 

 before it came into my possession, I do not know ; but 

 from the beginning of October to the end of December, 

 it lived solitary in a glass. The eggs of the first gene- 

 ration were hatched upon the 26th of May of the fol- 

 lo^ving year. An interval of three weeks had elapsed 

 between the laying of the first and the second lots : 

 I therefore thought a similar time would intervene 



