The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1889-10-03
Curiosity OF nature


Az receut meeting Of the l. Ind9n H.
ologcal Society for scientific business
Nj. Seiater called attention u a specimen
Jf half Insect living In the sOcie - IL
sect hou7e, wnlch had been received from
the seychelles and presented By 10 Il
Walsingham
Tnn leaf -insects, OF which bat few
species are known, as bel 1Hg u tie zaDe
family (IhdsimdDeJ as the stick insects,
aud bOtn are marveli0u, illustrations u
mimicry in Nature. They are all hOcturn-
Al in their habits, and spend their day
resting on trees and bushes, the leaves Of
Which form their food, aud their resem-
olauce, respectively, to the leaves and
twigs Ia 81 extraordinary that it is not
surprising that they escape the obserga'
lion Of their enemies. The leai-iusect
are most singular the head and part OF
the tAOrax form s.alk, while the abdJ-
men, which il II 1t, thin, and much diI2ted
exactly resembles leaf The legs,
which are six n number, hive broad,
memDranous appendages on tae thizls,
and these are especially noticeable IN the
tore-ieg-; the result being that the Great
nre, which resting impovaple, has the
appearance Of leaf which been gnawed
On both sides BY a caterpillar. La the in
sect at the Il 30 this resemblance is not
exact, and the illusion is heightened by
The coloring, when makes 1t appear
slightly ~ithered at the edges.
1t is the habit Of the Insect to hang
back dJwnwards, with the abdomen
slight" curled up, aud, " quote Mr.. Muir
ray, this habit brings to light another
beautiful continuance for still further
frightening its resemblance to leaf
The surface is opaque green, the under
surface glossy glittering green, just the
reverse of thu myrtle or guaya leaf, 50
that by reversing its position, it brings
the glossy side up and the dull side down.
The eggs of the phasimide which are
few in nunoer. are large and covered
with a horny shell, at the end of which
there is distinct operculum, and are de-
posted singly.
The insect attains considerable
amount of developing before emerging.
Mr.. Murray tells US that, latter having
reached the form Of a sixlegged, jDiated
insect. it energies from the egg by push
lug off the lid. 1t comes out middle fore
most-that il, It's head and tail are
packed downward5 so as to meet each
other The back between these FIRST APP
pears, and they are drawn out next; the
legs are extricated last. The color of the
insect at this stage is reddish yellow
something of hue Of half-dried peach
leaf; fol- it is to he observed that. al
though the color of the insect varies at
different periods of its life, it alSays
more or less resembles leaf at some
stage. When IL has once settled to eat
the leaves on which it is placed, the body
speedily becomes bright green"
Specimens of the leaf-insect are not I'M
common ia collections; but after death
the green color is lost, and the whole ill.,
sect acquires a yellowi,h. brown tint,
much the color of a dry leaf Living
specimens however, are by no means
common, and we believe the present epe-
cies to he even less common than Mypi-
nm siccifoliHm, of which according to
Rev. ]. G. Wood, specimens have been
Matched in. England, have passed into
their perfect state, and lived for some
eighteen months. London Saturday Re