CHAPTER VII.
THE MANTIS .-- THE NEST Let us take a more pleasant aspect of the insect whose loves are so tragic.

Its nest is a marvel.

In scientific language it is known as the _ootek_, or the "egg-box." I shall not make use of this barbarous expression.

As one does not speak of the "egg-box" of the titmouse, meaning "the nest of the titmouse," why should I invoke the box in speaking of the Mantis?
It may look more scientific; but that does not interest me.
The nest of the Praying Mantis may be found almost everywhere in places exposed to the sun: on stones, wood, vine stocks, the twigs of bushes, stems of dried grass, and even on products of human industry, such as fragments of brick, rags of heavy cloth, and pieces of old boots.

Any support will suffice, so long as it offers inequalities to which the base of the nest may adhere, and so provide a solid foundation.