COMMENCEMENT OF THE RAINS 85 



Whether or no the toads could have been capable 

 of exerting such pressure I cannot say, but, supposing 

 them capable, still a further difficulty remained : the 

 toads could not have grown and increased in size 

 without food, but, thus entombed in the earth, what 

 possible food could they have obtained ? 



The beerbhootees are now fast disappearing. The 

 popular belief is that they burrow beneath the surface 

 of the soil, and there remain till the rains of the next 

 year recall them again to the upper world. In the 

 course of my present excavations I have made dis- 

 coveries which, to some extent, confirm the correctness 

 of this belief. In digging out the holes of various 

 insects I have constantly found beerbhootees in the 

 earth which was dug out. Some of those found were 

 of full size, as large as peas ; but the greater number 

 were mere specks, not exceeding in dimension the head 

 of the smallest pin, so small, in fact, that but for 

 their brilliant colouring they would have been quite 

 undistinguishable. 



They were found usually at a depth of from one 

 to two feet below the surface. It seemed to me almost 

 impossible that such small, soft, and feeble insects could 

 have dug their way to such a distance into the soil. I 

 was, therefore, rather inclined to believe that these beer- 

 bhootees must have descended through the holes of 

 some of the numerous insects. As I could not deter- 

 mine this point by observation of the ground, I had 

 recourse to experiment. The point I desired to 

 ascertain was, whether or no the beerbhootees were 

 capable of burrowing. 



