Evening star., 1949-10-03
This and That
Bv Charles E. TraceweH

"Dear Sir: ~-i
"Your recent comments on the praying
mantis impel me to write you OF an unusual
happening in which one Of these weird ap-
pearing creatures was involved.
"a neighbor came over one afternoon to
find out if knew whether the praying
mantis customarily includes birds in its diet.
She had been out wedding her flowers and
there on zinnia plant she beheld large
mantis clasping q hummingbird in its legs.
She removed the bird from the insects
grasp, but it was dead, large, bloody hole
having been gnawed In its side. examined
the bird, but the villain Of this account had
vanished when search was made for 1t.
"The Smithsonian Institution, when ap-
pealed to, said 1t had never heard OF such .
thing, and was somewhat incredulous.
Frankly, hardly blamed it. If I did not
know the character Of my neighbor, and had
not seen the bird with the hole in its Side.
I should have been somewhat doubtful my
self. Sincerely. c. T. r.
The mantis seldom if ever catches bird
Plainly, this insect is not equipped either
to overtake or slay well bird.
It might be possible for an ailing species
to be overtaken and killed by q full-grown
praying mantis.
The chances are that in the present case
the mantis found an injured hummer and
completed the job. That Is all.
It might even be possible, on an odd
chance, that the insect flew into it while
the hummingbird was perching on . tele.
phone wire.
In this case the suddenness Of the attack
and the powerful front legs Of the nnantis
might have been enough to overcome the
superior weight and speed Of the humming-
bird.
The mantis' paws are equipped rather to
saw and cut than to bore.
In the present instance. it might be that
some one had shot the hummer, or 1t had
been impaled on thorn, and been 80 found
by the large insect.
In size the mantis has an advantage, but
certainly hummingbird, with its powerful
wing stroke, could scarcely have been over
come by mantis in fair fight.
Something went wrong evidently.
Yet it is never possible, just because one
has not seen something or other in nature.
to say absolutely that the thing is i'm
possible.
The mantis is large, with powerful arms.
Its construction is such that it can grasp
and hold with terrible energy.
Any one may discover this by seizing one
and permitting it to bring its praying"
arms together on the hand.
While it will not cut, certainly. the grasp
is strong, and on insects is decisive.
Just how far this creature could go IN
killing a bird Is merely guess. The cir
cumstances would have great deal to do
with it.
The legs are powerful, but the jaws are
even more so. It would be impossible, then,
to say positively that q praying mantis
simply could not bore hole into the birds
side.
It might, according to set Of circum-
stances known or unknown.
The mother mantis forms her egg case.
usually sort Of oval or globe, Of material
from her own body. About SO eggs are
placed In it, and the whole is sealed up.
The case is usually a sort Of mouse colored
gray, with an odd pattern on the surface.
This is made by the laying on Of the layers
of material.
The case is attached to bough Of some
shrub normally not more than few feet
from the ground. Often as many as q half
dozen cases are placed on the same shrub.
In the spring, after plant aphids have
begun to multiply. the cases split open and
the little nantes (proper pluraD come out.
They cannot fly, since they have no wings
as yet. but they possess very long legs. and
ct first eat the plant lice, shortly sraduat-
tng to heartier insect fare.