THE BEETLE. 381 



into a wsrm ; tliey subsist in that state by living upon the roots 

 of vegetables, or the succulent parts of the bark round them. 

 They generally live a year at least before they change into an au- 

 relia ; in that state they are not entirely motionless, nor entirely 

 swaddled up without form. 



It would be tedious and endless to give a description of all ; 

 and yet it would be an unpardonable omission not to mention 

 th.e particularities of some beetles, which are singular rather 

 from their size, their manners, or their formation. That beetle, 

 which the Americans call the Tumble-dung, particularly de- 

 mands our attention ; it is all over of a dusky black, rounder 

 than those animals are generally found to be, and so strong, 

 though not much larger than the common black beetle, that if 

 one of them be put under a brass candlestick, it will cause it to 

 move backwards and forwards, as if it were by an invisible hand, 

 to the admiration of those who are not accustomed to the sight ; 

 but this strength is given it for much more useful purposes than 

 those of exciting human curiosity, for there is no creature more la- 

 borious, either in seeking subsistence, or in providing a proper re- 

 treat for its young. They are endowed with sagacity to discover 

 subsistence by their excellent smelling, which directs them in 

 flights to excrements just fallen from man or beast, on which 

 they instantly drop, and fall unanimously to work in forming 



average size was about au iucli and a half in lengtli, and four lines and a half 

 in girth. The larvae of the dipterous inset-t, though voided only about feven 

 or eight times, according to her account, came up almost literally in myriadp. 

 They were alive and moving." Altogether, Dr Piokells saw nearly 2000 

 grubs of the beetle, and there were many which he did not see. Mr Clear, 

 an intelligent entomologist of Cork, kept some of them iJive fnr more than 

 twelve months. Mr S. Cooper cannot unaerstaud whence the continued 

 supply of the grubs was provided, seeing that larvas do not propagate, and 

 that only one pupa and one perfect insect were voided ; but the simple fact 

 that most beetles live several years in the state of larvse sutHciently ac- 

 counts for this. Their existing and thriving in the stomach, too, will ir.- 

 pear less wonderful from the fact that it is exceedingly difiicult to kill tins 

 insect; for Mr Henry iJaker repeatedly plunged one into spirits of wiiii', 

 so fatal to most insects, but it revived, eveu after being innner.sed :i v.!i<.! 

 iiij,'ht, and afterward^i lived three years. 



That there was no deception on the part of the woman, i-. ^ro'.ed by the 

 fact that she wivs always anxious t" con<'eal the circumstance ; and that it 

 was only by accident that the medical gentlemen, Drs Pickells, Herrick, 

 and Thomson, discovered it. Moreover, it docc not appear that, though 

 poor, she ever rook advantage <A it fo e.^itort money. It i.« interesting to 

 Ic.irn that by means of turpentine, in large rto<es, ^lle was ,it length cured, 

 IV. 2 .K 



