The Sacred Beetle and Others 



there, in order to concentrate upon her 

 modelhng. The block out of which she is 

 to shape her pear may be obtained in two 

 ways. Sometimes the Beetle manages to 

 secure from the heap, by methods which are 

 familiar to us, a fine mass of material which 

 is kneaded into a ball on the spot and is a 

 perfect sphere before it is set in motion. 

 Were it only a question of provisions in- 

 tended for her own meal, she would never 

 act otherwise. 



When the ball is deemed big enough, if 

 the place does not suit her wherein to dig 

 the burrow, she sets out with her rolling 

 burden, going at random till she lights 

 upon a favourable spot. On the way, the 

 ball, without becoming any rounder than it 

 was to start with, hardens a little on the 

 surface and is encrusted with earth and tiny 

 grains of sand. This earthy rind, picked up 

 on the road, is an authentic sign of a more 

 or less long journey. The detail is not with- 

 out importance; we shall find it useful 

 presently. 



At other times, the Beetle may find a 

 suitable site for her burrow close to the 

 heap which has provided her block. The 

 soil there may be free from pebbles and easy 

 to dig. In that case, there is no need of any 



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