220 INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



becomes to them an essential source of comfort and of 

 health."* 



The rose or green chafer (^Cetonia aiirata), which is one 

 of our prettiest native insects, is one of the burrowers, and, 

 for the purpose of depositing her eggs, digs, about the 

 middle of June, into soft light ground. When she is seen 

 at this operation, with her broad and delicate wings folded 

 up in their shining green cases, speckled with white, it 

 could hardly be imagined that she had but just descended 

 from the air, or dropped down from some neighbouring 

 rose. 



The proceedings of the Tumble-Dung Beetle of America 

 (Scarahoeus pihdanas, Linn.) are described in a very interest- 

 ing manner by Catesby, in his ' Carolina.' " I have," says 

 he, "attentively admired their industry, and mutual assist- 

 ing of each other in rolling their globular balls from the 

 place where they made them to that of their interment, 

 which is usually the distance of some yards, more or less. 

 This they perform breech foremost, by raising their hind 

 parts, and forcing along the ball with their hind feet. 

 Two or three of them are sometimes engaged in trundling 

 one ball, which, from meeting with impediments on account 

 of the unevenness of the ground, is sometimes deserted by 

 them. It is, however, attempted by others with success, 

 unless it happens to roll into some deep hollow or chink, 

 where they are constrained to leave it ; but they continue 

 their work by rolling off the next ball that comes in their 

 way. None of them seem to know their own balls, but an 

 equal care for the whole appears to affect all the community. 

 They form these pellets while the dung remains moist, and 

 leave them to harden in the sun before they attempt to roll 

 them. In their moving of them from place to place, both 

 they and the balls may frequently be seen tumbling about 

 the little eminences that are in their way. The}^ are not, 

 however, easily discouraged; and, by repeating their 

 attempts, usually surmount the difficulties." 



He further informs us that they " find out their sub- 



* Jom-ual of a Xaturali.st, p. oil. 



