Gold Beetles: Their Nuptial Habits 



gnawed with impunity. It looks as though 

 an invincible repugnance prevents him from 

 retaliating by eating a bit of her who is eat- 

 ing him. 



This tolerance reminds me of the Langue- 

 docian Scorpion, 1 who, after his wedding, 

 allows himself to be devoured by his mate 

 without using his weapon, the poisoned sting 

 which is quite capable of killing the virago; 

 it reminds me of the Praying Mantis' swain, 

 who is sometimes reduced to a mere stump 

 and, in spite of all, continues his unfinished 

 work while he is being chewed in little mouth- 

 fuls, without the least expression of revolt. 2 

 These are nuptial rites against which the 

 male is not entitled to protest. 



The males in my collection of Gold 

 Beetles, from the first to the last eviscerated, 

 tell us of similar habits. They are the vic- 

 tims of their mates when these have had their 

 fill of matrimony. During four months, 

 from April to July, couples form daily, some- 

 times only tentatively, sometimes and more 

 often concluding in effective pairing. There 



1 The seven essays on the Languedocian Scorpion will 

 appear in the final volume of the series, entitled The 

 Life of the Scorpion. Translator's Note. 



2 Cf. The Life of the Grasshopper: chaps, vi. to ix. 

 and, in particular, chap. vii. Translator's Note. 

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