270 
THE MEDITERRANEAN NATURALIST 
Tartuffe, or the artifice of the robber. I have only 
had opportunity to observe in Trieste the common 
green mantis (Mantis religiosa L.), which now 
reaches its northern limit near Vienna or Brunn, 
and in the neighborhood of Freiburg in Breisgau, 
but in the last century was fonnd, according to 
Leyding, near Wurzburg and Frankfort a. M. All 
communications received in regard to the habits 
of those that live in the temperate and tropical 
countries of both hemispheres, however, agree 
with my observations. The creasure sits, the 
only movement being in the head, which it turns 
back and forth as it looks on all sides. These 
motions would seem very strange to a natura- 
list w T ho had only observed other insects. Now 
one of the flies which I put in the glass for 
the mantis approaches it and settles on its green 
wing, which, to the fly, does not look different in 
any way from a leaf. The expectancy of the 
spectator and of the hungry mantis increases ; the 
victim crawls heedlessly forward, now it comes 
within reach of the graspers, the knife opens and 
snaps together, the struggling, confiding fly is 
caught and soon every particle of it has disappeared 
The mantis assumes its former attitude and waits, 
greedy fellow that he is, for a new victim. 
It is stated on good authority that the tropical 
species will overpower and eat lizards three times 
as long as themselves, and even small birds are 
surprised while sleeping and devoured. The little 
Mantis religiosa of Southern Europe, although less 
than three inches long, will defend itself against 
man, and the gigantic species of hot countries 
cause bloody wounds in the human skin with their 
saber-like legs. But the worst characteristic of 
the mantis is the amazon-like trait which it shares 
only with some spiders. The female mantis is 
larger and stronger than the male, and she murders 
her mate in cold blood, when she can get him, 
and eats the father of her future children without 
the least compunction. The creatures are always 
quarrelsome among themselves, the stronger kills 
the weaker, and brothers and sisters wage war 
against one another from the first. 
A creature of prey which is capable of only a 
slow movement, and cannot capture its victims by 
rapidity of pursuit or suddenness of attack, must 
have some other means of taking them by surprise 
and such a means is invisibility. Let uie be rightly 
understood. I mean relative, not absolute invisi- 
bility, which the mantis obtains by the coloring 
and form of its body, more especially of its fore 
wings, which are of such a nature that the creatu- 
re does not seem to stand our from the ground on 
which it awaits its prey and is not distinguishable 
from the leaves and other parts of plants. Some 
are bright green, like the Mantis religiosa o: Eu- 
rope, so that the resemble fresh leaves; others are 
yellow, like faded foliage: and still others are a 
brown or leather color, with dark spots and 
glassy, transparent places on the f ore wings, so 
that they look like an old weatherbeaten leaf to 
which fungi have attached themselves, and parts 
of the epidermis of which have been removed by 
insects and influence of the weather, so that its 
ribs and nerves resemble the veins of the mantis 
wings. 
Scientists who have explored tropical countries 
and other travelers that understand nature — there 
are, unfortunately, few of the latter — agree that 
the mantis is wonderfully protected 1 y it.- resemb- 
lance to foliage. This fact has not escaped the 
notice of the masses in those hot countries and 
has given rise to all kinds of superstitions. The 
noted printer, Marie Sibylle Merian, of Frankfort 
a. M., who remained in tropical South America 
specially to paint insects and flowers, says that in 
Surinam it is supposed that the creature grows, as 
leaves do, on trees, falls off after a time, and then 
flies or crawls away. A superstition which is just 
the opposite of this is related by Wilhelm Piso 
( 1658 ) in his “Naturgeschichte Brasilieus ' (Natu- 
ral History of Brazil). He says the creature 
changes to a plant; fixing its feet in the ground, 
roots are caused to grow by the influence of mois- 
ture. 
The species named Idoluin diabolicum, is a na- 
tive of the interior of Africa. Its most remarkable 
features are the sidewise widening of the thorax, 
which is sharp edged, and of the abdomen. The 
lower ends of the second joints of the legs are also 
broadened out in leaf shape. A glance at the fore 
feet with their armature of spins will show us 
what terrible weapons they must be. The helmet- 
shaped projection on the head is peculiar to 
several tropical species. 
Translated by tin ^Scientific American” from, 
“ Illustrite Zeitung .” 
