BURYING-BEETLES: EXPERIMENTS 81 



the grave to which the body will afterwards be carted. 

 To excavate the soil, our grave-diggers must feel the 

 weight of their dead on their backs. They work only 

 when stimulated by the contact of its fur. Never, never 

 in this world do they venture to dig a grave unless the 

 body to be buried already occupies the site of the cavity. 

 This is absolutely confirmed by my two and a half months 

 and more of daily observations. 



The rest of Clairville's anecdote bears examination no 

 better. We are told that the Necrophorus in difficulties 

 goes in search of assistance and returns with companions 

 who assist him to bury the Mouse. This, in another 

 form, is the edifying story of the Sacred Beetle whose 

 pellet had rolled into a rut. Powerless to withdraw his 

 treasure from the gulf, the wily Dung-beetle called to- 

 gether three or four of his neighbors, who benevolently 

 recovered the pellet, returning to their labors after the 

 work of salvage. 



The exploit — so ill-interpreted — of the thieving pill- 

 roller sets me on my guard against that of the under- 

 taker. Shall I be too exigent if I enquire what precau- 

 tions the observer adopted to recognize the owner of the 

 Mouse on his return, when he reappears, as we are told, 

 with four assistants? What sign denotes that one of the 

 five who was able, in so rational a manner, to appeal for 

 help ? Can one even be sure that the .one to disappear re- 

 turns and forms one of the band? There is nothing 

 to indicate it; and this was the essential point which a 

 sterling observer was bound not to neglect. Were they 

 not rather five chance Necrophori who, guided by the 



