230 THE ADVENTURES OF 



arrangement quite excuses your error. Look; the upper 

 part of their body is black and polished, and their wing- 

 sheaths are a greenish gray, irregularly dotted with dark 

 spots." 



" Here is one which has no horns." 



" It is a female." 



We were examining with some curiosity all the ways of 

 the insect colony, which was scarcely disturbed by our 

 presence, when Gringalet, who had also taken to sneezing, 

 suddenly set up the most plaintive howl. L'Encuerado had 

 placed on the dog's back three or four beetles, which had 

 buried their claws in his skin. The Indian, surprised at the 

 result of his experiment, hurried to relieve the poor animal, 

 which was rolling on the ground; at last he succeeded in 

 getting hold of him, but he had much difficulty in freeing 

 him from his vindictive assailants. One beetle, indeed, 

 seized hold of the hand of the mischievous wag, whose gri- 

 maces much amused us; as fast as he disengaged one of 

 the insect's claws, the creature which possessed six soon 

 found a chance to cling on with others. Annoyed at hav- 

 ing to strive with such a paltry enemy, PEncuerado at last 

 tore the beetle roughly away, but the blood flo\vedfrom his 

 bronze-colored skin. Always too ready for revenge, he 

 threatened to exterminate the whole colony -of beetles ; but, 

 smiling at his ill-humor, I forbade his perpetrating such a 

 useless massacre. 



" They are nice gentlemen !" he cried ; " because they 

 had just heard themselves called Hercules, they think they 

 are strong enough to bite the hands of every person they 

 meet ! Stupid fools, with noses longer than their bodies, 

 who fly away when Gringalet barks at them ! Bite them ! 

 Bite them !" cried he, setting the dog at them. 



But the latter, with his ears drooped and his tail between 

 his legs, refused to obey, and, from this day forward I re- 



