The Sacred Beetle in Captivity 



construction of a spacious vivarium, with an 

 artificial soil of sand and a constant sup- 

 ply of provisions. Into this cage I put 

 some twenty Sacred Beetles, together with 

 Copres, Gymnopleurl and Onthophagi. No 

 entomological experiment ever cost me so 

 many disappointments. The difficulty was 

 the renewing of the food supply. Now my 

 landlord owned a stable and a Horse. I 

 gained the confidence of his man, who at 

 first laughed at my proposals, but soon 

 allowed himself to be convinced by the sight 

 of silver. Each of my insects' breakfasts 

 came to twenty-five centimes. I am sure 

 that no Beetle budget ever amounted to such 

 a sum before. Well, I can still see and I 

 shall always see Joseph, after grooming the 

 Horse of a morning, put his head over the 

 garden-wall and, making a speaking-trumpet 

 of his hand, call " Hil " to me in a whisper. 

 I would hurry up to receive a potful of 

 droppings. Caution was necessary on both 

 sides, as the sequel will show you. One 

 day, the master happened to come up just 

 when the transfer was being made and took 

 it into his head that all his manure was 

 going over the wall and that what he wanted 

 for his cabbages went to grow my verbenas 

 and narcissi. Vainly I tried to explain: he 



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