84 



AN ECONOAlIC ENTOMOLOGY. 



cealed, they rest, body close to the surface, prothorax elevated, 

 and forelegs held in the attitude of prayer, whence the term 

 "praying mantes," Ma?itis religiosa, which is applied to a for- 



FiG, 50. 



Stagmojuantis Carolina. — c, the female ; h, the male. 



eign species. But prayer is far from the object in view, as any 

 small insect that happens within reach learns to its cost. A sud- 

 den clasp wounds and crushes it into helplessness, and the Mantis 

 then leisurely devours its victim, the forelegs serving admirably 

 as hands in the operation. 



The eggs are laid in a mass on twigs or branches, held to- 

 gether by a peculiar silken fibre which encases and protects each 

 egg as well as the entire cluster. 



The predaceous habit excludes these insects from the categor}^ 

 of injurious forms ; but they are not sufficiently common in our 

 country to be of any practical advantage. They are southern in 

 geographical range, and only one species, Stagmomajitis ca7'o- 

 lina, is rarely found north of New Jersey on the Atlantic coast. 



The Ambulatoria, or "walkers," include a series of very 

 curious species, popularly known as "walking-sticks" and 

 "walking-leaves," represented in our fauna by a few species 

 belonging to the family Phasmidce. The true home of these 



