MANTIS, an orthopterous insect of the family Mantidge. These curious insects, allied to grasshoppers, abound in many parts of the world, and have always excited popular notice, and have been endowed with many supernatural qualities by the ignorant and superstitious of all countries. They are slender, with long, locust like legs, oval wings, and a long neck-like pro thorax, terminating in an angular head with large protruding eyes. The front legs are stout, spiny, fitted for grasping their prey, and are held up in front of them in an attitude that to some suggest prayer. Hence the names praying insect, prophet and the like often given to the more familiar species; to others they sug gest other ideas, as of a horse pawing the air, whence our common species of the Southern States (Stegantomantis carolina) is known as i the urear-horse," and in Europe these insects are called Why it should also he called "mule-killer" is harder to explain; probably it is by confusion with a scorpion also so called. These insects in tropical countries
have come to assume various forms and hues similar to the flowers near which they lurk to catch the insects visiting the blossoms —a pro tective measure which comes under the head of mimicry. A large proportion of the insects upon which they feed are injurious to crops, so that they may be regarded as beneficial to man. Among the Japanese and Chinese they are made to minister to human amusement also, being kept in cages and made to engage in combats upon which the spectators bet money. The eggs of the mantis are laid in an oval mass upon the stem of a plant, and covered with a tough case of hardened mucus, which shows a curi ously braided pattern of surface, and is easily recognized.'