The Beaded Trox 



wire-gauze cover, they instantly drop down; 

 then, recovering from their excitement, they 

 hide under the heap. There is nothing 

 striking in the habits of these pacific crea- 

 tures, unless it be the pairing, which drags 

 on for two months, frequently broken off, 

 frequently resumed, often a passing fancy. 

 It is never finished. 



At the end of April I proceed to search 

 under the heap of provisions. The eggs 

 are distributed very near the surface in the 

 moist sand, singly, without cells or any prep- 

 aration by the mother. They are white 

 and globular, about the size of small bird- 

 shot. I find that they are very bulky in com- 

 parison with the size of the insect. Their 

 number is not great. Ten at most is the al- 

 lowance for one mother, as far as I can 

 judge. 



The larvae soon appear and develop 

 rather quickly. They are naked, cylindri- 

 cal grubs, dull white, curved into a hook like 

 the Dung-beetles', but without the knapsack 

 in which the latter reserve the cement for 

 plastering the interior of the emptied loaf 

 and preserving the victuals from desiccation. 

 The head is powerful and glossy black; there 

 is a brown streak on either side of the first 

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