More Beetles 



is hollow, without a scrap of flesh left inside 

 his carapace. A little later I find another 

 empty relic, then another, and yet another, 

 until my menagerie is rapidly diminishing. 

 If this frenzied slaughter continues, I shall 

 soon have nothing left in the vivarium. 



Can it be that my Gold Beetles, worn out 

 by age, die a natural death or that the fe- 

 males batten on the corpses, or is the popu- 

 lation being reduced at the expense of hale 

 and hearty subjects? It is not easy to eluci- 

 date the matter, for the disembowelling 

 usually takes place at night. Nevertheless, 

 by exerting vigilance, I twice succeed in ob- 

 serving the autopsy by daylight. 



In the middle of June, before my eyes a 

 female sets to work upon a male, whom I 

 recognize as such by his rather smaller size. 

 The operation begins. Lifting the ends of 

 the wing-cases, the assailant seizes her vic- 

 tim by the tip of the abdomen, on the dorsal 

 surface. Eagerly she tugs and munches. 

 The captive, though in the pink of condition, 

 does not defend himself, does not turn round. 

 He pulls his hardest in the opposite direction, 

 to release himself from the terrible mandi- 

 bles; he moves this way or that, according 

 as he is dragging his aggressor or being 

 306 



