56 THE LIFE AND LOVE OF THE INSECT 



ancients, for here the two sexes are outwardly indis- 

 tinguishable. It was born of the ordure that formed its 

 ball ; and from its birth dated the appearance of the 

 nymph, that amber gem displaying, in a perfectly recog- 

 nizable form, the features of the full-grown insect. 



In the eyes of all antiquity, the Sacred Beetle begins 

 to be born to life at the moment when he can be recog- 

 nized, not before ; else we should have the as yet unsus- 

 pected worm of affiliation. The twenty - eight days, 

 therefore, during which, as Horapollo tells us, the off- 

 spring of the insect quickens, represent the nymphal 

 phase. This period has been the object of special atten- 

 tion in my studies. It varies, but within narrow limits. 

 The notes taken mention thirty-three days as the longest 

 duration and twenty-one as the shortest. The average, 

 supplied by a score of observations, is twenty-eight days. 

 This identical number twenty-eight, this number of four 

 weeks appears as such and oftener than the others. 

 Horapollo spoke truly : the real insect takes life in the 

 interval of a lunar month. 



The four weeks past, behold the Scarab in his final 

 shape : the shape, yes, but not the colouring, which is 

 very strange when the chrysalis casts its skin. The 

 head, legs and thorax are a dark red, except the denticula- 

 tions, which are a smoky brown. The abdomen is an 

 opaque white ; the whig-cases are a transparent white, 

 very faintly tinged with yellow. This majestic dress, 

 combining the red of the cardinal's cassock with the white 

 of the priest's alb, is but temporary and turns darker by 

 degrees, to make way for a uniform of ebon black. 

 About a month is necessary for the horny armour to 

 acquire a firm consistency and a definite hue. 



At last, the Scarab is fully matured. Awaking within 



