More Beetles 



the opening at the top. Aroused by a bath 

 of water, the animal comes out of its shell, 

 protruding its swan-like neck and extending 

 to their full length its telescopic eye-stalks, 

 which seem quite placidly to contemplate 

 the frantic saraband of the ravenous Beetles. 

 The imminent danger of evisceration does 

 not prevent it from fully displaying its ten- 

 der flesh, an easy prey on which, one would 

 think, the gluttons, deprived of their meat, 

 will fling themselves to continue the inter- 

 rupted feast. 



But what is this? None of the Gold 

 Beetles pays any attention to the magnificent 

 quarry, which, swaying with a wave-like mo- 

 tion, is largely uncovered by its fortress. If 

 one of the starvelings, more greatly daring 

 than the others, ventures to dig a tooth into 

 the mollusc, the Snail contracts, goes indoors 

 and begins to foam. This is enough to re- 

 pel the assailant. All the afternoon and all 

 night, the victim remains thus in the presence 

 of five-and-twenty disembowellers; and noth- 

 ing serious happens. 



This same experiment, repeated on sundry 



occasions, proves that the Gold Beetle does 



not attack the unwounded Snail, even when 



the latter, after a shower of rain, is crawling 



296 



