WHAT BECOMES OF THE BIRDS' NESTS. 225 



for its operations. It merely digs through the patch which 

 is to be removed, carrying some with it to the bottom of the 

 hole, which is as many as twelve inches deep. It then 



lays one egg, 

 crawls up to the 

 top, and sets 

 to work again 

 on another bur- 

 row a truly gi- 

 gantic work when one considers 

 the size of the workman employed. 

 A vast army must have been 

 engaged in clearing the field Mr. 

 Wood describes, for it would, as 

 he says, have occupied a strong 



body of men a considerable time, and then, after all, they 

 could not have manured it as the beetles did, without first 

 removing the turf. 



Has it ever occurred to us to consider what becomes of 

 p 



Fig. 



47. THE CLOTHES 

 MOTH. 



