BURYING-BEETLES: EXPERIMENTS 85 



A few strips have been gnawed through ; a small number, 

 only so many as were strictly necessary to permit the 

 passage of the body. 



Well done, my undertakers! I expected no less of 

 your savoir-faire. You have foiled the artifices of the 

 experimenter by employing your resources against natural 

 obstacles. With mandibles for shears, you have pa- 

 tiently cut my threads as you would have gnawed the 

 cordage of the grass-roots. This is meritorious, if not 

 deserving of exceptional glorification. The most .limited 

 of the insects which work in earth would have done as 

 much if subjected to similar conditions. 



Let us ascend a stage in the series of difficulties. The 

 Mole is now fixed with a lashing of raphia fore and aft 

 to a light horizontal cross-bar which rests on two firmly 

 planted forks. It is like a joint of venison on a spit, 

 though rather oddly fastened. The dead animal touches 

 the ground throughout the length of its body. 



The Necrophori disappear under the corpse, and, 

 feeling the contact of its fur, begins to dig. The grave 

 grows deeper and an empty space appears, but the cov- 

 eted object does not descend, retained as it is by the cross- 

 bar which the two forks keep in place. The digging 

 slackens, the hesitations become prolonged. 



However, one of the grave-diggers ascends to the 

 surface, wanders over the Mole, inspects him and ends 

 by perceiving the hinder strap. Tenaciously he gnaws 

 and ravels it. I hear the click of the shears that 

 completes the rupture. Crack! The thing is done. 



