THE SISYPHUS BEETLE 145 



at hand. The father, a vigilant watchman, still retains 

 his hold, while the mother digs with claws and head. 

 Soon the pit is deep enough to receive the ball ; she 

 cannot dispense with the close contact of the sacred 

 object ; she must feel it bobbing behind her, against her 

 back, safe from all parasites and robbers, before she can 

 decide to burrow further. She fears what might happen 

 to the precious loaf if it were abandoned at the threshold 

 of the burrow until the completion of the dwelling. 

 There is no lack of midges and tiny dung-beetles — 

 Aphodiinae — which might take possession of it. It is 

 only prudent to be distrustful. 



So the ball is introduced into the pit, half in and half 

 out of the mouth of the burrow. The mother, below, 

 clasps and pulls ; the father, above, moderates the jolts 

 and prevents it from rolling. All goes well. Digging is 

 resumed, and the descent continues, always with the 

 same prudence ; one beetle dragging the load, the other 

 regulating its descent and clearing away all rubbish that 

 might hinder the operation. A few more efforts, and the 

 ball disappears underground with the two miners. What 

 follows will be, for a time at least, only a repetition of 

 what we have seen. Let us wait half a day or so. 



If our vigilance is not relaxed we shall see the father 

 regain the surface alone, and crouch in the sand near 

 the mouth of the burrow. Retained by duties in the 

 performance of which her companion can be of no 

 assistance, the mother habitually delays her reappearance 

 until the following day. When she finally emerges the 

 father wakes up, leaves his hiding-place, and rejoins her. 

 The reunited couple return to their pasturage, refresh 

 themselves, and then cut out another ball of dung. As 



11 



