The Vegetarian Insects 



by the passers-by. It will not commit this 

 act of folly, however alluring the bait of a 

 new dish. 



It is not the same thing with the larva of 

 the Geotrupes. In the open fields, the drop- 

 pings of beasts of burden, without being 

 scarce, are not by any means to be met with 

 everywhere. They are found chiefly on the 

 roads, which, encrusted with macadam, offer 

 an insuperable obstacle to burrowing. On 

 the other hand, half-rotten dead leaves ac- 

 cumulate everywhere in inexhaustible quanti- 

 ties. What is more, they abound on loose 

 soil, which is easily excavated. If they are 

 too dry, there is nothing to prevent their 

 being carried down to such a depth that the 

 moisture of the soil will give them the re- 

 quisite pliability. An insect is not a Geo- 

 trupes, an earth-borer, for nothing. A silo 

 sunk a few inches deeper than the ordinary 

 burrows would make an excellent steeping- 

 vat. 



Since the Geotrupes-grubs thrive on a 

 column of rotten leaves, as my experiments 

 have proved. It would seem that the maker 

 of dung-sausages would gain greatly by 

 slightly modifying her trade and substituting 

 fermented leaves for stercoral matter. The 

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