106 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
The Mantis belongs to the order Orthoptera, a group that 
embraces in addition the ‘‘ Leaf” and ‘ Stick” insects, more 
popularly known in Australia as “ Native Ladies.” 
The particular Mantis to which I refer is known to 
naturalists as Orthodera ministralis. It is usually of a green 
colour, but some specimens are yellowish and some brown. 
The fore-legs are raptorial and are used by the insects in 
capturing prey. They are barbed all along the under-side, so 
that when a victim is grasped it has no chance.of escape. On 
the inner-side of each fore-leg there is a spot of beautiful dark 
‘blue-black within a circle of cobalt. These are considered by 
naturalists to be organs of hearing. The other legs are slender 
' and are used for walking. Whatever the colour of one of these 
insects may be, it always harmonises with its surroundings. J 
have often plucked a flower, and have not noticed the Mantis 
upon the stem until it moved. Ihave found endless amuse- 
ment in watching these insects catch and devour their prey. 
One day I watched one catch a large blowfly ; it started to eat 
the head, then the thorax to the wings, eating the latter as far 
as the veins extended, and then letting the remainder fall; then 
to the abdomen which was well charged with live larve 
wriggling about, but not one escaped. When the meal was 
finished, the Mantis cleaned itself carefully, drawing its feet 
through its mouth, then rubbing its face and wings down, and 
when it was quite satisfied that there was no trace of fly left, 
if again assumed the devotional attitude in anticipation of more 
to eat, for that fly had but taken the edge off its appetite. 
I was much amused one day when watching a Mantis upon a 
rose. Another one appeared upon the scene and tried to take 
its place upon the same flower, but the one in possession dis- 
puted it and they had a battle royal. Their fore-legs flew out 
like lightning—thrust and parry, parry and thrust. It was an 
exciting contest and lasted for some time, until at length 
worsted in the contest one of the combatants retired. Had it 
not done so it would probably have been eaten. I have read 
somewhere that this is what usually takes place. 
The Mantis does not pass through metamorphoses as do the 
majority of insects, like butterflies, moths and beetles, for 
instance. On the contrary, when it is first hatched ont, it 
closely resembles its parents. But if it does not undergo 
metamorphosis, it has at any rate to pass through a series of 
moults before it becomes an adult. Hach moult is rendered 
necessary by the fact that as the insect grows the outer skin 
fails to keep pace, and so becomes too tight. 4s the skin splits 
and the animal withdraws, the old coat is discarded. When 
it first escapes from the old skin the creature is soft and limp, 
and easily injured, but it soon becomes hard and sturdy and 
~ fitted for life’s battle. In the Autumn the female Mantis lays 
her eggs. She knows that it would be useless to deposit them 
