The Sacred Beetle and Others 



The result of my sprinkling soon becomes 

 apparent. In a few days' time, now in one 

 jar, now in another, the pills, properly soft- 

 ened, open and fall to pieces under the 

 prisoners' efforts. The new-born Copris ap- 

 pears and sits down, with his mother, to the 

 food which I have placed at his disposal. 



When the hermit, stiffening his legs and 

 humping his back, tries to split the ceiling 

 that presses down on him, does the mother 

 come to his assistance by delivering an assault 

 from the outside? It is quite possible. The 

 watcher, hitherto so careful of her brood, 

 so attentive to what is happening within the 

 pills, can hardly fail to hear the sounds made 

 by the captive in his struggles to emerge. 



We have seen her indefatigably stopping 

 the holes caused by my indiscretion; we have 

 seen her, often enough, restoring for the 

 grub's greater safety the pill which I had 

 opened with my penknife. Fitted by instinct 

 for repairing and building, why should she 

 not be fitted for demolishing? However, I 

 will make no assertions, for I have been un- 

 able to see. The favourable conditions 

 always escaped me: I came either too late 

 or too early. And then let us not forget that 

 the admission of Hght usually interrupts the 

 work. 



244 



