The Spanish Copris: the Eggs 



inside. All's well, it seems; and once again 

 she resumes her patient toil: the careful, 

 delicate scraping of the sides towards the 

 summit, which begins to taper a httle and 

 lengthen out. In this way, an ovoid with the 

 small end uppermost takes the place of the 

 original sphere. Under the more or less 

 projecting nipple is the hatching-chamber 

 with the egg. Twenty-four hours more are 

 spent in this minute work. Total: four 

 times round the clock and sometimes longer 

 to construct the sphere, scoop out a basin, 

 lay the egg and shut it in by transforming the 

 sphere into an ovoid. 



The insect goes back to the cut loaf and 

 helps itself to a second slice, which, by the 

 same manipulations as before, becomes an 

 ovoid tenanted by an egg. The surplus 

 suffices for a third ovoid, sometimes even 

 for a fourth. I have never seen this number 

 exceeded when the mother had at her dis- 

 posal only the materials which she had 

 accumulated in the burrow. 



The laying is over. Here is the mother 

 In her retreat, which is almost filled by the 

 three or four cradles standing one against 

 the other, pointed end upwards. What will 

 she do now? Go away, no doubt, to recruit 

 her strength a little in the open air after her 

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