The Sacred Beetle and Others 



possessed by our manufacturers of spheres, 

 pears and ovoids; but we are no less surprised 

 by something totally different, namely the 

 mother's profound indifference to the nursery 

 which but now was the object of her tenderest 

 cares. 



My remarks apply equally to the Sacred 

 Beetle and the two Gymnopleuri, all of whom 

 display the same admirable zeal when the 

 grub's comfort has to be assured and later, 

 with no less unanimity, the same indifference. 

 I surprise the mother in her burrow before 

 she has laid her eggs, or, if the laying be 

 over, before she has added those meticulous 

 aftertouches dictated by her exaggerated 

 conscientiousness. I instal her in a pot 

 packed full of earth, placing her on the 

 surface of the artificial soil, together with her 

 work, in its more or less advanced state. 

 In this place of banishment, provided that 

 it be quiet, there is not much hesitation. 

 The mother, who until now has held her 

 precious materials tight-clutched, decides to 

 dig a burrow. As the work of excava- 

 tion progresses, she drags her pellet down 

 with her, for it is a sacred thing with which 

 she must not part at any time, even amid 

 the difficulties of her digging. Soon the cell 

 in which the pear or the ovoid is to be 

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