136 THE LIFE AND LOVE OF THE INSECT 



conveys it to the mouth, either backwards, by dragging 

 it with his forefeet, or straight ahead, by rolling it along 

 with little strokes of his shield. He reaches the edge of 

 the hole. Will he hurl the lump down the precipice 

 with one last push ? Not at all : he has plans that are 

 incompatible with a violent fall. 



He enters, embracing the pellet with his legs and 

 taking care to introduce it by one end. On reaching a 

 certain distance from the bottom, he has only to slant the 

 piece slightly to make it find a support at its two ends 

 against the walls of the channel : this because of the 

 greater length of its main axis. He thus obtains a sort of 

 temporary flooring suited to receive the burden of two 

 or three pellets. The whole forms the workshop in which 

 the father means to do his task without disturbing the 

 mother, who is fully engaged below. It is the mill whence 

 will be lowered the semolina for making the cakes. 



The miller is well-equipped for his work. Look at his 

 trident. On the solid basis of the corselet stand three 

 sharp spears, the two outer ones long, the middle one 

 short, all three pointing forwards. What purpose does 

 this weapon serve ? At first sight, one would take it for 

 a masculine decoration, one of so many others, of very 

 varied forms, worn by the corporation of Dung-beetles. 

 Well, it is something more than an ornament : Minotaurus 

 turns his gaud into a tool. 



The three unequal points describe a concave arch, 

 wide enough to admit a spherical sheep-dropping. Stand- 

 ing on his imperfect and shaky floor, which demands the 

 employment of his four hind-legs, propped against the 

 walls of the perpendicular channel, how will Minotaurus 

 manage to keep the elusive olive in position and break 

 it up ? Let us watch him at work. 



