72 HAUNl^S AND HOBBIES 



The beerbhootee does not remain long, and its de- 

 parture is almost as sudden as its arrival. After a week 

 or so its numbers diminish ; in ten days it has dis- 

 appeared, and till the commencement of the rainy 

 season of the following year it is not again beheld. 

 Where the beerbhootees come from, whither they go, 

 and where in the interval they remain are all mysteries, 

 and so far as I am aware they are mysteries of which 

 as yet no explanation has been afforded. During the 

 short period that they remain I could never discover 

 that they fed, or made nests, or performed any other 

 work. They appeared to spend their time only in 

 never-ceasing and quite purposeless wanderings. 



The burrowing insects employed themselves certainly 

 more actively. As soon as the rain had well aroused 

 them they lost no time in setting to work. When I took 

 my usual stroll through the garden I found all the raised 

 earthen paths quite riddled with holes. The holes were 

 of the most varying sizes : some would only just admit 

 the finest wire, while others were almost wide enough to 

 allow a marble to run down them, and between the two 

 extremes there was every gradation. 



I had a curiosity to ascertain what sort of insects some 

 of the holes contained. I selected for first examination 

 a hole of medium dimensions, and had it dug up. The 

 process was very tedious. The hole was long and 

 winding ; it descended rather deep into the ground, and 

 if its course was once lost in the moist earth it would 

 have been next to impossible to recover it. To prevent 

 such a misfortune, the greatest care had to be exercised, 

 but our trouble in the end was rewarded. We at length 



