I **7 3 



THE MANTIS TRIBE* 



THE insects composing the present tribe have, in 

 general, at a little distance, so much the appearance 

 of leaves of trees that, in countries where they are 

 very common, travellers have been struck with the 

 singular phenomenon of what seemed to them ani- 

 mated vegetable substances. Their most prevailing 

 colour is a fine green, but many of the insects be- 

 come brown after they are dead : some of them are, 

 however, decorated with a variety of lively hues. 

 The thorax in most of them is very long and nar- 

 row, and has the appearance of a footstalk to their 

 large and rounded abdomen. Their manners also, 

 in addition to their structure, are very likely to im- 

 pose on the senses of the uninformed : they often 

 remain on the trees for hours without motion; then, 

 suddenly rising, spring into the air, and, when they 

 settle, again appear lifeless. These seem to be 

 stratagems to deceive the cautious insects which 

 they feed upon. Some travellers, who have observed 

 them have, however, declared that they saw the 

 leaves of trees become living creatures. Many of 

 the Indians of South America, who have these in- 

 sects very common among them, believe that they 

 grow like the leaves on the trees, and that when 



* The Linncan order Hemiptera. commences here. 



