THE GRASSHOPPER'S COUSINS 



them to take the form of leaves. One famous species that 

 lives in the East Indies looks so much like two leaves stuck 

 together that it is truly marvelous that an insect could be 

 so fashioned (Fig. 45). The 

 whole body is flat, and about 

 three inches long, the bases of 

 the legs are broad and irregu- 

 larly notched, the abdomen is 

 spread out almost as thin as a 

 real leaf, and the leaflike wings 

 are held close above it. Finally, 

 the color, which is leaf-green 

 or brown, gives the last touch 

 necessary for complete dissim- 

 ulation. 



The Mantids 



It is often observed that 

 genius may be perverted, or 

 put to evil purposes. Here is a 



r __•! c ■ .1 iv n Fig. 45. A tropical leaf insect, 



family of insects, the Man- PuUhriphylUum pukhriMium, a 



tidae, related tO the graSS- member of the walking-stick fam- 



1 1 j- j 1 • 1 ily- (Length 3 inches) 



hoppers, katydids, and crick- 

 ets, the members of which are clever enough, but are 

 deceitful and malicious. 



The praying mantis, Stagmomantis Carolina (Fig. 46), 

 though he may go by the aliases of "rear-horse" and 

 "soothsayer," gets his more common name from the 

 prayerful attitude he commonly assumes when at rest. 

 The long, necklike prothorax, supporting the small head, 

 is elevated and the front legs are meekly folded. But if 

 you examine closely one of these folded legs, you will see 

 that the second and third parts are armed with suspicious- 

 looking spikes, which are concealed when the two parts 

 are closed upon each other. In truth, the mantis is an 

 arch hypocrite, and his devotional attitude and meek 

 looks betoken no humility of spirit. The spiny arms, 



[73] 



