34 MARVELS OF THE ANIMAL WORLD 



thirsty disposition than the fighting-fishes, for not 

 only will they enter unto combat with their kindred, 

 but the victor will often finish up by making a meal 

 of its victim. The Chinese take advantage of the 

 savage nature of these creatures, and arrange fights 

 between them, the insects being caught for that 

 purpose and kept in small bamboo cages until they 

 are required for use, when a pair are then placed 

 in a basin, and goaded into a state of fury by 

 irritating them with straws. As a rule, however, 

 they do not require any inducement to cause them 

 to attack one another, and when once the combat 

 starts it does not cease until one of the insects is 

 vanquished and dead. It is the custom for the 

 people to bet upon the results of the duels, and those 

 mantes which have achieved fame by securing a 

 number of victories over their fellows are much 

 prized by their owners, and are considered to 

 be worth as much as two or three hundred 

 dollars. 



The mantis is a very remarkable creature. It 

 possesses an enormous head, triangular in shape, 

 and poised almost at right angles to its neck. The 

 large and flattened fore-legs are very formidable 

 weapons, the under surface of the tibia and fibia 

 (the shanks and thighs) being armed with sharp 

 spines. These interlock in the manner of the jaws 

 ot a tooth-trap, and one well-directed snap with 

 tnese weapons is sufficient to take ofE the head of 

 an adversary. 



The mantis does not chase its victims, but waits 

 patiently until they approach near. It then 



