Evening star., 1949-09-13
This and That
By Charles E. TraceweH


Offices and buildings along historic Penn
sylvania avenue often find that a praying
mantis or two has flown in a high window
overnight.
These oddities of nature, which belong
to the insect group comprising the grass
hopperS, crickets, cockroaches and walking
sticks, have greater powers Of flight than
the average homeowner Is likely to accord
them.
He sees the mantis Cor mule killer, as it
is known in some StateS) in his garden, and
believes that it can make only short flights.
With a slight wind behind it. however, it
is fully able to fly into 7th story window
along Pennsylvania avenue.
One was captured the other day and
brought into an Office, where it flew around
at a lively clip.
When picked up, it is able to take tight
grip with those large front legs, ordinarily
held up in the attitude of prayer hence its
common name.
Praying mantis might better be spelled
preying mantis, for that is exactly what he
is doing when he seems so sanctimonious.
("Pray- God" as the French call him.
Southern mythology has it that the dark
saliva he sometimes puts forth is able to
kill mules
Males are brownish. females more green,
but it is often difficult to tell, because,
though no chameleon, the mantis often has
both colors, bordering on russell It is this
mixture that makes it such perfect match
for the average garden foliage, especially
toward autumn.
The two main forms in this country are
Chinese mantis, the larger, and the Euro
pean form.
This is one of the best insect destroyers
we have
It is killed on sight by most dogs and cats
Even people often specialize in destroying
it, not realizing that it does good and is in
no way inimical to man.
The wings seem made of paper. and when
touched have none of the Shiny feel of some
insects.
It cannot harm one, although the grip
it takes with those legs is rather startling.
For wags to drop in sensitive peoples laps
it is one of the best, being guaranteed to
get as big scream as spider.
But there is absolutely no harm in it, and
it is rather too bad that so many home
owners do not realize its potentialities for
good.
The mantis race is kept going by the egg
cases, which the female places some three
Or four feet high in shrubbery.
These cases are oval, of gray color, some-
times light, sometimes dark. They are about
an inch in diameter, and hold about so
young nantes (the correct pluraD.
II there is warm spell around Christmas,
the nantes will hatch out, and all be killed
in the subsequent colder weather.
Even if the weather remained warm there
would be few small insects for them to grab.
If the egg case is carried indoors, one must
be prepared to be host to three or four dozen
little ones, each a perfect picture of the
parents, but wingleSS.
Feeding such number, grouped here and
there on mantel, pictures, ETC., is problem.
In most cases it is an impossible one. Bits
of liver may be tried, or the jelly from multi
Vitamin capsules.
For this reason it is best to leave the
cases where they are found and permit
nature to handle them in her own way.
They will never be bother, because not too
many of them survive, even in nature.
This may be because of their voracious
appetites.
reasonably good sized one, say three to
four inches long, will eat three, grasshoppers,
daddy-long-legS and another mantis even
larger than himself-or herself
The female is the old meanie of the
family She often eats her mate, and thinks
nothing of taking nip or two at her chill
dren after they grow to edible size.
Old Greeks called the mantis the "di-
viner," and Turks and Arabs said it con-
stantly prayed with face toward Mecca.
Large South American species are said to
eat frogs, lizards and small birds.
Nantes often fence with their long legs,
and the winner devours the loser.
These odd creatures are said to shimmy
on branch to initiate leaf In motion.
Believe that II yeu have seen 1t.