ORTHOPTERA . 
107 
it is no wonder that they are called Praying Mantes. But 
the only prayer that could ever enter the mind of a Mantis 
Fig. xi 6 . —Phasmomantis Carolina. 
would be that some unwary insect might come 
near enough for him to grab it with his hypo¬ 
critical claws, and so get a meal. Devil-horses* 
rear-horses, and camel-crickets are other names 
applied to these insects, because of the long, 
slender prothorax which makes them look like 
tiny giraffes. They are also called mule-killers* 
from the absurd superstition that the dark-col¬ 
ored saliva they eject from their mouths is fatal ® 
to the mule. But they are absolutely harmless 
to both man and beast. They are mostly tropical 
insects, and often have wings that resemble the 
leaves of trees. Our common species, Phasmo - 
mantis Carolina (Phas-mo-man'tis) (Fig. 116), is 
confined to the Southern States. The eggs are 
laid in masses and overlaid with a hard covering 
of silk; the top of the masses having the appearance of be¬ 
ing braided (Fig. 117). 
Fig. 117.— 
Epp-mass of 
a Ma 
antis. 
