TRANSLATOR'S NOTE 



This, if we count The Life of the Weevil 

 as the third, is the fourth and last volume on 

 Beetles in the Collected English Edition of 

 Fabre's entomological works. The first was 

 entitled The Sacred Beetle and Others; the 

 second The Glow-worm and Other Beetles. 



Of the fourteen chapters, part of the four 

 devoted to the Minotaur appeared, in an 

 abbreviated form, in The Life and Love of 

 the Insect, prepared by myself for Messrs. 

 Adam and Charles Black and published in 

 America by the Macmillan Co. Similarly, 

 The Pine Cockchafer and the two chapters on 

 the Gold Beetles occur in Mr. Fisher Unwin's 

 Social Life in the Insect JVorld (published in 

 America by the Century Co.), translated by 

 Mr. Bernard Miall, whom I take this oppor- 

 tunity of thanking for his assistance in the 

 translation of the present volume. These 

 seven chapters are included in the Collected 

 Edition by arrangement with the pubhshers 

 named. 



Alexander Teix£ira de Mattos. 



Chelsea, 29 September, 1921. 



