Show praying mantis relative of the busy grasshopper the praying mantis which destroys harmful insects is a relative of the grasshopper according to an authority in the new york world telegram the grasshopper eats plants but this does not suit the mantis he must eat meat the mantis is a cannibal it thinks nothing of eating its own kind afie female has haa be been en known to eat the male after the mating is over and the male is no longer a n ger of any usefulness in preserving the race the female is larger than ihan the male it is claimed that the mantis can paralyze its victim with fright this is easy to understand because of its enormous size in contrast to the size of the insects which make up its food supply the mantis rears itself by means of the hinges in its backs back and holds its arms aloft it then remains motionless ti when a luckless beetle flies past the mantis reaches out with surprising swiftness in comparison to its usual slowness in motion and strikes with one arm now the arms are lined with barbs and have no difficulty in capturing and holding the choice morsel the luckless insect cannot get away no matter how it tries sometimes the mantis sits as if in prayer suddenly it sees an insect pro aching rises to full ful 1 height approaching puts out an arm throws wide its wings the mantis is thus so frightful to its victim that it is paralyzed and falls an easy prey to the powerful ogre that the mantis feeds on other insects makes it a boon to man |