The Geotrupes: the Public Health 



professional scavengers. The under surface 

 of the Stercoraceous Geotrupes is of a 

 splendid amethyst-violet, while that of the 

 Mimic Geotrupes makes a generous display 

 of the ruddy gleams of copper pyrites. 

 These two species are the inmates of my 

 insect-houses. 



Let us ask them first of what feats they 

 are capable as buriers. There are a dozen 

 of them in all. The cage is previously swept 

 clean of what remains of the former provi- 

 sions, hitherto supplied without stint. This 

 time, I propose to find out what a Geotrupes 

 can stow away in one night. At sunset, I 

 serve to my twelve captives the whole of a 

 heap which a Mule has just dropped in front 

 of my door. There is plenty of it, enough 

 to fill a basket. 



On the morning of the next day, the mass 

 has disappeared underground. There is no- 

 thing left outside, or very nearly nothing. I 

 am able to make a fairly close estimate and 

 I find that each of my Geotrupes, presuming 

 each of the twelve to have done an equal 

 share of the work, has buried pretty nearly 

 sixty cubic inches of matter: a Titanic task, 

 when we remember the insignificant size of 

 the insect, which, moreover, has to dig the 

 warehouse to which the booty must be low- 

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