Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 15.djvu/527

Rh M A N M A N 503 doctor at Lewes his eminence as a geological investigator was fully recognized on the publication of his work on The Fossils of the South Doivns, 1822. His most remarkable discoveries were made in the Wealden formations, whence he brought to light and described the remarkable Dinosaurian reptiles known as Ljuanodon, Hylxosaurus, Felorosaitrtis, and Regnosaurus, The memoirs in which he sketched the structure of these strange creatures, and pointed out the probable conditions in which they lived, were recognized by the Geological Society as deserving of its highest honour the Wollaston medal. The Royal Society also awarded him a Royal medal. Besides these and other contributions to the literature of palaeontology and geology, he published from time to time various popular works which had a large sale and did much to spread a knowledge of and interest in the science. 1 Towards the end of his life Dr Mantell retired to London. Though for many years suffering from a severe spinal disease, the result of an accident, he continued with unabated enthusiasm the prosecution of his favourite scientific pursuits, sparing neither pains nor expense towards the attainment of his objects, and kindling in others a spirit of eager desire to farther the cause of science. He wrote with great clearness and attractiveness, so that his general works were deservedly popular. As a lecturer also he was almost unrivalled for fluency and eloquence. His name appeared o!i the list of membership of many learned societies both at home and abroad. He died in 1852. MANTINEIA was one of the most famous cities of Arcadia. It was situated in the long narrow valley, running north and south, which is now called after the chief town Tripolitza. Tegea was in the same valley, about 10 miles south of Mantineia, and the two cities continually disputed the supremacy of the valley. In every great war we find them ranged on opposite sides, except when superior force constrained both. In the Peloponnesus the disputes between Argos and Sparta 1 isted for centuries ; and Mantineia was always an ally of the former. In the war between Sparta and Athens, Mantineia was at first forced to be an ally of Sparta, but in 421 it joined Argos in making an alliance with Athens. The city is said by Strabo to have been founded under Argive instigntion, by the union of several villages of the valley ; there can be no doubt that this was done in order to maintain a party in the valley hostile to Tegea and Sparta. It is impossible here to trace the varying history of the town. It was one of the chief members of the Arcadian league that helped Epaminond;is to break the power of Sparta. It was one of the original members of the AchaBan league, but deserted it for the ^Etolian. The Achaeans and Antigonus Doson captured the city in 222 KG., and changed its name to Antigoneia, but the emperor Hadrian restored the ancient name. The worship and mysteries of Cora at Mantineia were famous. The valley in which the city lies has no opening to the coast, and the water finds its way, often only with much care and artificial aid, through underground passages (catobotkra) to the sea. It is bounded on the west by Mount Ma3nalus, on the east by Mount Artemision. The river Ophis flowed through the city. The position of the town in the centre of this valley route made it of great military importance, and five important battles were fought beside it: in 418 B.C. Sparta defeated the alliance above mentioned ; in 362 Epaminondas defeated the Spartans and lost his own life ; 1 Of these the following may be enumerated The Wonders of Geo!&amp;lt;/f/y, 2 vpls. ; The Medals of Creation, 2 vols. ; Thoughts on a PeWe, or First Lessons in Geology; A Geological Excursion round the. Isle of Wight; Pictorial Atlas of Fossil Remains; Thoughts on Anf male/lies, or a Glimpse at the. Invisible World as revealed by the Microscope; Petrifactions and their Teachings. in 295 Demetrius Poliorcetes defeated the Spartans; in 242 Aratus defeated the Spartans; in 207 Philopcemen defeated the Spartans. In the beginning of the 4th century B.C. Mantineia had 3000 citizens capable of bear ing arms. MANTIS. Probably no other insect has been the sub ject ^of so many and widespread legends and superstitions as the common &quot;praying mantis,&quot; Mantis rdigiosa, L. (see INSECTS, Orthopltra, fam. Mantidx, vol. xiii. p. 152). The ancient Greeks endowed it with supernatural powers (/Aavns, &quot;a diviner &quot;) ; the Turks and Arabs hold that it prays constantly with its face turned towards Mecca ; the Proven9als call t ^Prcga-Diou (Prie-Diera) ; and numerous more or less similar names preacher, saint, nun, mendi cant, soothsayer, etc., are widely diffused throughout southern Europe. Children ask it to show them the way, and Mouffet assures us that it rarely or never deceives them ; and it is even recorded that one specimen, which alighted on the hand of St Francis Xavier, and which he commanded to sing the praise of God, loudly intoned a very beautiful canticle. In Nubia it is held in great esteem, and the Hottentots, if not indeed worshipping the local species (M.fausta), as one traveller has alleged, at least appear to regard its alighting upon any person both as a token of saintlihess and an omen of good fortune. Praying Mantis (Mantis rcligiosa}. Yet these are &quot; not the saints, but the tigers, of the insect world.&quot; The front pair of limbs are very peculiarly modified, the coxa being greatly elongated, while the strong third joint or femur bears on its curved underside a channel armed on each edge by strong movable spines. Into this groove the stout tibia is capable of closing like the blade of a penknife, its sharp, serrated edge being adapted to cut and hold. The arrangement is essentially similar to the sub-chela of S^uilla and Amphipods among CRUSTACEA (&amp;lt;/.?&amp;gt;.), as well as to the cheliceraB of spiders (see ARACHNIDA). Thus armed, with head raised upon the much-elongated and semi-erect prothorax, and with the half-opened fore limbs held outwards in the characteristic devotional attitude, it rests motionless upon the four posterior limbs waiting for prey, or occasionally stalks it with slow and silent movements, finally seizing it with its knife-blades and devouring it. Although apparently not daring to attack ants, these insects destroy great numbers of flies, grasshoppers, and caterpillars, and the larger South- American species even attack small frogs, lizards, and birds. They are very pugnacious, fencing with their sword-like limbs &quot; like hussars with sabres,&quot; the larger fre quently devouring the smaller, and the females the males. The Chinese keep them in bamboo cages, and match them like fighting cocks. The elytra of the common mantis have been compared to a withering willow leaf, a circumstance which net improb ably aids in concealing them from their prey. Some of the tropical forms exhibit as perfect mimicry of the leaves as the leaf insects proper ( Pkasmida), Bates found a mantis on the Amazon which exactly resembled the