THE SACRED BEETLE 11 



if the latter did not change his tactics to recover his 

 property. Sapping is brought into play to bring down 

 the citadel with the garrison. The ball, shaken from below, 

 staggers and rolls, carrying with it the robber, who makes 

 violent efforts to maintain his position on the top. This 

 he succeeds in doing, though not always, thanks to hurried 

 feats of gymnastics that enable him to regain a level from 

 which the rolling of his support tends to drive him. 

 Should a false movement bring him to the ground, the 

 chances become equal and the struggle turns into a wrest- 

 ling-match . Robber and robbed grapple at close quarters, 

 breast to breast. Their legs twist and untwist, their 

 joints intertwine, their horny armour clashes and grinds 

 with the rasping sound of filed metal. Then that one 

 of the two who succeeds in throwing his adversary and 

 releasing himself hurriedly takes up a position on the top 

 of the ball. The siege is renewed, now by the robber, 

 now by the robbed, as the chances of the hand-to-hand 

 conflict may have determmed. The former, no doubt a 

 hardy filibuster and adventurer, often has the best of the 

 fight. Then, after two or three defeats, the ejected Beetle 

 wearies and returns philosophically to the heap, there to 

 make himself a new pellet. As for the other, with all 

 fear of a surprise at an end, he harnesses himself to the 

 conquered ball and pushes it whither he pleases. I have 

 sometimes seen a third thief appear upon the scene and 

 rob the robber. Nor can I honestly say that I was sorry. 

 I ask myself in vain what Proudhon^ introduced into 

 Beetle-morality the daring paradox that " property is 

 based on plunder," or what diplomatist taught Dung- 

 beetles the savage maxim that " might is right." I have 



^ Jean Baptiste Victor Proudhon (1758-1838), author of De la dis- 

 tinction des biens, Traité du domaine public, Qic. — Translator's Note. 



