The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles 



which they pass their head, and which, all 

 their lives long, remain clad in this shell, on 

 condition that they themselves enlarge it as 

 they grow. This absurd dream is realized 

 by our grub: it is dressed in the shell of its 

 egg, expanded by degrees as the grub itself 

 grows bigger. 



In July all my collection of eggs are 

 hatched, each isolated in a large cup covered 

 with a slip of glass which will moderate the 

 evaporation. What an interesting family! 

 My vermin are swarming amid the miscella- 

 neous vegetable refuse with which I have fur- 

 nished the premises. They all move along 

 with tiny steps, dragging their shells, which 

 they carry lifted on a slant; they come half- 

 way out and suddenly pop in again; they tum- 

 ble over if they merely attempt to scale a 

 sprig of moss, pick themselves up again, forge 

 ahead and cast about at random. 



Hunger, we can no longer doubt, is the 

 cause of this agitation. What shall I give my 

 famished nurselings? They are vegetari- 

 ans: there can be no doubt whatever about 

 that; but this is not enough to settle the bill 

 of fare. What would happen under the 

 natural conditions? Rearing the insects in 

 cages, I find the eggs scattered at random on 

 the ground. The mother drops them care- 

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