134 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
fell backwards over some impediment or other, but the pellet 
in most cases was held firmly, although sometimes the beetle 
and pellet went tumbling over each other. If the beetle 
chanced to lose its burden it seldom searched for it again, 
but went off on the look out for another. Having accom- 
plished the task of pulling some three or four pellets to the 
base of the mound around the tunnel, the next thing was to 
find the tunnel itself, which seemed to perplex the poor 
insect very much, for with the labour of collecting these 
pellets it apparently had lost the knowledge of the exact 
position of the tunnel, but after a longer or shorter search it 
was sure to find the desired aperture, when, thrusting its head 
and thorax therein, it would remain motionless for a few 
seconds, as if making sure that all things were right. It then 
proceeded to drag the pellets, one by one, up the side of the 
mound, and almost invariably the beetle fell backwards into 
the mouth of the tunnel with its load, which, being released, 
rolled instantly down the oblique gallery: this having been 
accomplished, the beetle would return to the mouth of its 
subterranean nursery and remain very quiet, as if resting 
from the fatigue of its previous exertions, before entering 
upon the labour of pulling up another pellet. I thus saw the 
creature dispose of eight or nine of these pellets, and at last 
left it resting in the mouth of its retreat; but whether the 
work of provision had thus been completed, or but partly 
fulfilled, I did not learn, but I believe T saw the commence- 
ment of the work, for when I first observed the tunnel I saw - 
that just below its surface two galleries were excavated 
opposite each other and in divergent directions, but one of 
them was very shallow,—not more than an inch and a half 
deep,—as I could see its end; possibly this was commenced 
before the larger and deeper one, but some obstacle prevented 
its completion, and so the second had to be bored. I inspected 
several other borings, but each had only a single shafi, as it 
were; and one thing I wish to notice, with regard to the one 
upon which my chief observations are founded, namely, that 
the beetle seemed to be actuated by a sort of blind instinct 
throughout its proceedings, as the first three or four pellets in 
the tunnel rolled into the shallow chamber, which they almost 
filled, and yet the beetle never took the least notice of them 
there, but always entered the deeper burrow for a short 
