The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles 



next closed. The mother sweeps up the rub- 

 bish with her fore-legs, collects it with the 

 rake of her mandibles and pushes it back into 

 the pit, into which she now descends to stamp 

 upon the powdery layer and cram it down 

 with her hind-legs, which I see swiftly work- 

 ing. When this layer is well packed, she 

 starts raking together fresh material to com- 

 plete the filling of the hole, which is carefully 

 trampled stratum by stratum. 



I take the mother from her pit while she is 

 engaged in filling it up. Delicately, with the 

 tip of a camel-hair pencil, I move her a couple 

 of inches. The Beetle does not return to her 

 batch of eggs, does not even look for it. 

 She climbs up the wire gauze and proceeds 

 to graze among her companions on the bind- 

 weed or scabious, without troubling herself 

 further about her eggs, whose hiding-place 

 is only half-filled. A second mother, whom 

 I move only one inch, is no longer able to re- 

 turn to her task, or rather does not think of 

 doing so. I take a third, after shifting her 

 just as slightly, and, while the forgetful 

 creature is climbing up the trellis-work, bring 

 her back to the pit. I replace her with her 

 head at the opening. The mother stands 

 motionless, looking thoroughly perplexed. 

 She sways her head, passes her front tarsi 

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