The Sacred Beetle and Others 



method of manufacture. The part that 

 rests upon the bottom of the cavity is crusted 

 over with earthy particles; all the rest is of 

 a glossy polish. Owing to its weight, owing 

 also to the pressure exercised when the 

 Beetle manipulated it, the pear, while still 

 quite soft, became soiled with grains of earth 

 on the side that touched the floor of the 

 workshop; on the remainder, which is the 

 larger part, it has retained the delicate finish 

 which the insect was able to give it. 



The inferences to be drawn from these 

 carefully noted details are obvious: the pear 

 is no turner's work; it has not been obtained 

 by any sort of rolling on the ground of the 

 spacious studio, for in that case it would 

 have been soiled with earth all over. Be- 

 sides, its projecting neck eliminates this me- 

 thod of fabrication. And its unblemished 

 upper surface is eloquent testimony that it has 

 not even been turned from one side to the 

 other. The Beetle therefore, has moulded 

 it where it lies, without turning or shifting it 

 at all; she has modelled it with little taps of 

 her broad paddles, just as we saw her model 

 her ball in the daylight. 



Let us now return to what usually happens 

 in the free state. The materials then come 

 from a distance and are carried into the 



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