The Sense of Smell 



threshold of the burrow. And then lovely 

 sand, soft to the touch, easy to dig into tun- 

 nels, easy to build into rows of huts which we 

 thatch with moss and surmount with a bit of 

 reed by way of a chimney; and the delicious 

 lunch off an apple to the sound of the i^^olian 

 harps softly sighing through the pine-needles! 



Yes, for the children it is a real paradise, 

 where one goes as a reward for well-learnt 

 lessons. The grown-ups also have their share 

 of enjoyment. As far as I am concerned, I 

 have for many years been watching two in- 

 sects here, without succeeding in discovering 

 their family secrets. One of them is Mino- 

 taurus typhcrus,^ whose male carries on his 

 corselet three spikes pointing in front of him. 

 The old writers used to call him the Phalan- 

 gist, because of his armour, which may be 

 compared with the three lines of spears of the 

 Macedonian phalanx. 



He is a robust fellow, who cares nothing 

 for the winter. All through the cold season, 

 whenever the weather turns a trifle milder, 

 he leaves his house discreetly, at nightfall, 

 and gathers, in the immediate neighbourhood 



lA Dung-beetle. Cf. The Life and Love of the In- 

 sect: chap. X. — Translator's Note. 



311 



