The Burrow 



eminently fitted to retain the heat, has a 

 good deal to do with the hermit's comfort 

 in severe weather. In the late autumn, the 

 Minotaur hoards so that he may take refuge 

 in a felt mattress when the cold really sets in. 



Couples addicted to nest-building in con- 

 cert begin to meet in the early days of 

 March. The two sexes, hitherto isolated in 

 burrows near the surface, are now associated 

 for a long time to come. Where does the 

 meeting take place, where is the agreement 

 to collaborate concluded? One fact, to be- 

 gin with, attracts my attention. At the end 

 of autumn, as in winter, females abound 

 as frequently as the males. When March 

 comes, I find hardly any, so much so that I 

 despair of properly stocking the cage in 

 which I propose to observe the insects' 

 habits. To fifteen males I unearth three fe- 

 males at most. What has become of the 

 latter, so numerous In the beginning? 



True, I am excavating the burrows most 

 readily accessible to my pocket-trowel. Per- 

 haps the secret of the absentees lies at the 

 bottom of those retreats which are more 

 difficult to inspect. Let us appeal to arms, 

 suppler and stronger than my own; let us 

 take a spade and dig deep into the soil. I 



79 



