THE SACRED BEETLE 15 



most, very often but one, belly to table, back to the wall. 

 Once the seat is chosen, no one stirs ; all the vital forces 

 are absorbed by the digestive faculties. No little move- 

 ments, which might cause the loss of a mouthful ; no 

 dainty toying with the food, which might cause the waste 

 of some. Everything has to pass, properly and in order. 

 To see them so pensively seated around a ball of dung, 

 one would think that they were aware of their task as 

 scavengers of the earth and that they consciously devoted 

 themselves to that marvellous chemistry which out of filth 

 brings forth the flower, the joy of our eyes, and the 

 Beetles' elytra, the ornament of our lawns in spring. For 

 the purpose of this transcendental work, which is to turn 

 into live matter the residue discarded by the horse and 

 the mule, despite the perfection of their digestive organs, 

 the Dung-beetle must needs be specially equipped. And, 

 in point of fact, anatomy compels us to admire the pro- 

 digious length of his intestine, which, folded and re- 

 folded upon itself, slowly elaborates the materials in its 

 profuse circuits and exhausts them to the very last 

 serviceable atom. From that whence the stomach of the 

 herbivorous animal has been able to extract nothing, 

 this powerful alembic wrings riches that, at a mere touch, 

 turn into ebon armour in the Sacred Scarab and a breast- 

 plate of gold and rubies hi other Dung-beetles. 



Now this wonderful metamorphosis of ordure has to 

 be accomplished in the shortest possible time : the general 

 health demands it. And so the Scarab is endowed with 

 matchless digestive powers. Once housed in the com- 

 pany of food, day and night he will not cease eating and 

 digesting until the provisions be exhausted. It is easy, 

 with a little practice, to bring up the Scarab in captivity, 

 in a volery. In this way, I obtained the following evi- 



