The Dung-Beetles of the Pampas 



its well-being demand this. But what con- 

 ditions? To become acquainted with them 

 would call for an examination on the spot; 

 and all the data that I possess are a few 

 nests, lifeless things very difficult to inter- 

 rogate. However, it is possible to catch a 

 glimpse of one or two points. 



The Gromphas' burrow is shallow; those 

 little cylinders, her loaves, are greatly ex- 

 posed to drought. Over there, as here, the 

 drying up of the victuals constitutes a mortal 

 danger. To avert this peril, by far the most 

 sensible course is to enclose the food in ab- 

 solutely shut vessels. 



Well, the receptacle is dug in very fine, 

 homogeneous, water-tight earth, with not a 

 bit of gravel, not an atom of sand in it. To- 

 gether with the lid that forms the bottom of 

 its round chamber, in which the egg is lodged, 

 this cavity becomes an urn whose contents 

 are safe from drought for a long time, even 

 under a scorching sun. However late the 

 hatching, the new-born grub, on finding the 

 lid, will have under its teeth provisions as 

 fresh as though they dated from that very 

 day. 



The clay food-pit, with its closely-fitting 

 lid, is an excellent method, than which our 

 agricultural experts have discovered no bet- 

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