I 



COMMENCEMENT OF THE RAINS 87 



tried remained for a full fortnight beneath the soil. 

 Owing to their manner of burrowing, during the whole 

 of this period the earth must have closely surrounded 

 them. This being so, how then did they obtain air 

 to breathe or food to sustain them .-* Yet when found 

 they exhibited no sign of having suffered from the 

 want of either. They were just as plump and as active 

 as they had been when first placed in the nand. 



As the beerbhootees always appear after the first 

 fall of rain, I resolved to ascertain if wetting the 

 surface of earth into which they had burrowed would 

 recall them again to the surface. For this experiment 

 I selected very sandy earth, and earth which was also 

 perfectly dry. I allowed sufficient time to elapse for 

 the beerbhootees to have descended for a distance of 

 a foot or more. I then had the surface of the earth 

 thoroughly wetted, but no beerbhootees reappeared. 



It is the general rule in nature that animals and 

 insects that dwell in darkness are dull -coloured. To 

 this rule the beerbhootee is a striking exception. It 

 passes all but a few days of its whole existence in the 

 most absolute darkness, and yet no living creature, bird, 

 insect, or animal, has colouring of a more brilliant hue. 



I have described the effect of the commencement 

 of the rains on animated nature, of the millions and 

 millions of creatures that the first shower calls forth 

 to life and activity. The effect on the vegetable world 

 is even more striking. But a few days have passed 

 since that first shower descended. The country then, 

 save for the trees and shrubs, had much the aspect 

 of a desert. Everywhere it was bare, arid, and desti- 



