246 ORTHOPTERA 



But little has been written on the internal anatomy of the 

 Mantidae. Dufour has described only very partially that of M. 

 religiosa. The salivary glands are largely developed, salivary 

 receptacles exist ; the alimentary canal possesses eight elongate 

 coecal diverticula placed on the chylific ventricle ; there are 

 about one hundred Malphigian tubules. In each ovary there 

 are about 40 egg-tubes, and they are joined at their bases in 

 clusters of about half a dozen ; each cluster has a common sinus ; 

 these sinuses are placed at intervals along a tube, which is one 

 of two branches whose union forms the oviduct ; there are a 

 large number of " serific glands " of two kinds in the female. 

 The testes are unusually complex in their structure. 



According to Schindler ^ the Malphigian tubes in Mantis are 

 not inserted, as usual, at the base of the intestine, but on the 

 intestine itself at about one-third of its length from the base. 

 There is some doubt about this observation. Schindler considers 

 the fact, if it be such, unique. 



The eggs of the Mantidae are deposited in a singular manner : 

 the female, placing the extremity of the body against a twig or 

 stone, emits some foam-like matter in which the eggs are 

 contained. This substance dries and forms the ootheca ; whilst 

 attaining a sufficient consistence it is maintained in position by 

 the extremity of the body and the tips of the elytra, and it is 

 shaped and fashioned by these parts. The eggs are not, as 

 might be supposed, distributed at random through the case, but 

 are lodged in symmetrically-arranged chambers, though how these 

 chambers come into existence by the aid of so simple a mode 

 of construction does not appear. The capsule is hard ; it quite 

 conceals the eggs, which might very naturally be supposed to be 

 efficiently protected by their covering : this does not, however, 

 appear to be the case, as it is recorded that they are subject to 

 the attacks of Hymenopterous parasites. The time that elapses 

 after the eggs are laid and before they hatch varies greatly 

 according to circumstances. In France, Mantis religiosa deposits 

 its eggs in September, but they do not hatch until the following 

 June ; while in E. India the young of another species of Mantis 

 emerge from the eggs about twenty days after these have been 

 deposited. Trimen has recorded some particulars as to the 

 formation of its egg-case by a Mantis in S. Africa. This 



1 Zeitschr. wiss. Zool. xxx. 1878, p. 609, pi. xxxviii. fig. 7. 



