I THE SACRED BEETLE 19 



on that, insinuated themselves under the ball, which 

 slipped up along the pin in proportion as the living 

 wedges raised it, the softness of the material allow- 

 ing of this clever manoeuvre. Soon the ball was 

 suspended at a height equal to that of the beetles' 

 bodies. What remained to do was more difficult. 

 From lying flat they gradually got on their legs and 

 pushed upward with their backs. It was hard -to 

 accomplish, the feet losing strength the more they 

 stretched upward, but they did it. Then came a 

 moment when they could no longer use their backs 

 to push, the highest point possible being reached. 

 There was a last resource, but one much less favour- 

 able to the development of strength. Now in one of 

 the postures in which it drags a ball, now in the 

 other, — that is to say, either head downward or the 

 reverse, — the insect pushes with hind or fore feet. 

 Finally, unless the pin be too long, the ball drops to 

 the ground. The perforation is repaired as best it 

 can be, and the ball is at once dragged onward. 



But if the pin should be too long, the ball 

 remains suspended at a height which the insect can- 

 not increase by rearing itself up. In this case, after 

 vain evolutions around the inaccessible maypole, the 

 beetles give up the struggle, unless you are kind- 

 hearted enough to complete the work yourself, and 

 restore their treasure, or unless you aid them by 

 raising the floor with a little flat stone, a pedestal from 

 whence the insect can continue its work. Its use does 

 not seem to be immediately understood, for neither 

 beetle shows any readiness to profit by it. How- 

 ever, by chance or otherwise, one gets on the stone. 

 Oh, joy ! as it passed it felt the ball touch its back. 



