The Life of the Fly 



often contradicted than confirmed by the facts. 

 Why is the Sisyphus a hard-working pater- 

 familias and the Sacred Beetle^ an Idle vaga- 

 bond? And yet the two pill-rollers practise 

 the same industry and the same method of 

 rearing their young. Why does the Lunary 

 Copris know what his near kinsman, the Span- 

 ish Copris,- does not? The first assists his 

 mate, never forsakes her. The second seeks a 

 divorce at an early stage and leaves the nuptial 

 roof before the children's rations are massed 

 and kneaded into shape. Nevertheless, on 

 both sides, there is the same big outlay on a 

 cellarful of egg-shaped pills, whose neat rows 

 call for long and watchful supervision. The 

 similarity of the produce leads one to believe 

 in similarity of manners; and this is a mistake. 

 Let us turn elsewhere, to the Wasps and 

 Bees, who unquestionably come first in the lay- 

 ing-up of a heritage for their offspring. 

 Whether the treasure hoarded for the benefit 

 of the sons be a pot of honey or a bag of game, 

 the father never takes the smallest part in the 

 work. He does not so much as give a sweep 

 of the broom when it comes to tidying the 



'See Insect Life: chap, i ; and The Life and Love of the 

 Insect: chaps, i to iv. — Translator's Note. 



"See The Life and Love of the Insect: chap. v. — Trans- 

 lator's Note. 



112 



