THEIR MODE OF BURYING A BIRD. 129 



creases in height, the bird sinks. After incessant labour 

 for about three hours, the beetle emerges, crawls upon the 

 bird, and takes a survey of his work. If the female is on 

 the bird, she is driven away by the male, who does not 

 choose to be intruded on during the important business. 

 The male beetle then remains for about an hour perfectly 

 still, does not stir hand or foot ; he then dismounts, diving 

 again into the grave, and pulls the bird down by the fea- 

 thers, for half an hour : its own weight appears to sink it 

 but very little. The earth then begins heaving and rising 

 all round, as though under the influence of a little earth- 

 quake : the feathers of the bird are again pulled, and 

 again the bird descends. At last, after two or three hours' 

 more labour, the beetle comes up, again gets on the bird, 

 and again takes a survey, and then drops down, as though 

 dead, or fallen suddenly fast asleep. When sufficiently 

 rested, he rouses himself, treads the bird firmly into its 

 grave, pulls it by the feathers this way and that way, and, 

 having settled it to his mind, begins to shovel in the earth : 

 this is done in a very short time, by means of his broad 

 head. He goes behind the rampart of earth, and pushes 

 it into the grave with amazing strength and dexterity ; 

 the head being bent directly downward at first, and then 

 the nose elevated with a kind of jerk, wliich sends the 

 earth forwards. After the grave is thus filled up, the 

 earth is trodden in, and undergoes another keen scrutiny 

 all round, the bird being completely hidden; the beetle 

 then makes a hole in the still loose earth, and having bu- 

 ried the bird and his own bride, next buries himself. The 

 female lays her eggs in the carcass of the bird, in number 

 proportioned to its size ; and after this operation is over, 

 and the pair have eaten as much of the savoury viand as 



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