The Sacred Beetle 



efforts to raise the load. The Ateuchus has 

 been to fetch reinforcements ; and this ex- 

 plains why it is such a common sight, in the 

 dry fields, to see several Ateuchi joining in 

 the removal of a single ball." 



Finally, I read in Illiger's ^ Entomological 

 ■Magazine: 



" A Gymnopleurus pilularius ,^ while con- 

 structing the ball of dung destined to con- 

 tain her eggs, let it roll into a hole, whence 

 she strove for a long time to extract it un- 

 aided. Finding that she was wasting her 

 time in vain efforts, she ran to a neighbour- 

 ing heap of manure to fetch three individuals 

 of her own species, who, uniting their 

 strength to hers, succeeded in withdrawing 

 the ball from the cavity into which it had 

 fallen and then returned to their manure to 

 continue their work." 



I crave a thousand pardons of my il- 



ijohann Karl Wilhelm Illiger (1775-1813), a German 

 naturalist, editor of a Magasin fiir Insektenkunde and au- 

 thor of Prodromus systematis mammalium et avium, etc. — 

 Translator's Note. 



2 Gymnopleurus pilular'ius is a Dung-beetle nearly re- 

 lated to the Sacred Beetle, but smaller. As his name sug- 

 gests, he also rolls pellets of dung. The Gymnopleurus is 

 very general, even in the north, whereas Scarabaeus sacer 

 is hardly ever found away from the shores of the Mediter- 

 ranean. — Author's Note. 



19 



