146 LITTLE FOLKS 
others the Walking Stick. Being so light and having such long 
legs, he can run like the wind, and you'll have to be lively if you 
catch him. 
Another family who dress in disguise are called Mantidcz. 
They imitate dry leaves, and look so exactly like them, that even 
when they move one can hardly believe they are not dry leaves 
rustling along in the breeze. It looks funny enough to see a little 
leaf walk off. Some look like rose-colored flowers, and others like 
small red fruit. 
Mr. Gosse tells of a naturalist who saw at his feet some 
withered leaves, whose tints pleased his eye, and he attempted to 
take them up. But to his amazement, they all took to their legs 
and ran away. He caught one and found it to be an insect. 
The same gentleman tells about the tricks of a pretty little 
West India fish which the negroes call the Sand Gootoo, because 
it hides in the sand. He tried to catch one with a net. He threw 
it down over one which was beginning to hide himself in the sand. 
He felt sure he had it, but he could not find it with his hand. 
Soon he saw creeping from the net an object that looked exactly 
like a hen's egg. The boy seized it, saying it was the fish. He 
held it up, and Mr. Gosse saw that it was swelled out like a blown 
bladder. He put it in a bottle, when as soon as it touched sea 
water it came back to its natural look. 
Wasn't that a funny way to hide ? 
