Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 37.djvu/548

532 between the cardboard and the tin rim of his cage, he dropped down and stood shaking the wounded member, just as a boy shakes his hand when he has caught his finger in a door; then he licked his bruises, holding up the tiny claw and carefully examining it.

Early on the morning of the seventh day after his capture, his friend the small boy announced that the devil's-riding-horse had shed his skin, and had grown to twice his former size! But this was not strictly accurate. The mantis had indeed shed his skin, which lay in the bottom of his cage like a shrunken and discarded garment, or rather like a sort of abandoned self, so perfect was every feature of the outgrown mask; but the devil's-riding-horse, though wonderfully expanded in his new estate, was not twice as large as we had known him the day before. In other respects, also, he showed a difference: he was beginning to change color; a small brown spot was visible on the back of his folded wings, and in two days more he was as brown as his cage—as brown as any twig he might elect, in his coming freedom, to alight upon. But, strangest change of all, the missing right hind-leg was there, very much shorter than its fellow; and, whereas our devil's-riding-horse had never heretofore seemed to be conscious of his deficiency, he now went lame! However, for yet another marvel, in a few days more, that tardy leg was as well developed as the others.

About this time we discovered that something ailed our prisoner. He clung more persistently than ever to the top of his cage, and could hardly be induced to stir, even for a fly. Still, he would at his leisure make a dash at every insect offered him; but, though he captured and killed his prey, he did not devour it. Therefore, lest he should die on our hands, we decided to release him. For this purpose we took him to the same flower-stand where he had been captured, and on a bare shelf, exposed to the blazing noon, we reversed the fly-trap, leaving it open to the sky. The captive was, as usual, clinging to the tin top of his prison-house, but, the instant he perceived himself at the abhorred bottom, he began to crawl up the side of the cage.

Now, we had expected that the release of this prisoner would be a very tame affair of ready wings; but there was a dramatic surprise in store for us. When we looked to see our mantis 1 spread his sheeny vans for flight," he paused on the tin rim that bound the wire gauze, and lifting that queer head of his until it almost lay back on his neck, he gazed up at the sky; turning slowly from side to side, he took a long survey of the heavens, his vision in no way troubled, it would seem, by the blinding light. After several seconds of this sky-gazing, he shifted his position slightly, and peered down at the depth from which he had ascended; then he looked at the sky again, and again he peered at