The Spanish Copris: the Eggs 



card-board screen forming a ceiling and 

 supporting the sand above. Or else I simply 

 put the mother on the surface of the sand 

 with a supply of provisions. She digs her- 

 self a burrow, does her warehousing, makes 

 herself a home; and things follow the usual 

 course. In all cases, I rely upon a sheet of 

 glass, which does duty as a lid, to keep my 

 prisoners safe. These different devices will, 

 I trust, give me information on a delicate 

 point of which I will say more later. 



What do the glass jars covered with an 

 opaque sheath teach us? A good many 

 things, all of them Interesting, and this to 

 begin with: the big loaf does not owe its 

 curve — which is always regular, no matter 

 how much the actual shape may vary — to 

 any rolling process. Our inspection of the 

 natural burrow has already told us that so 

 large a mass could not have been rolled into 

 a cavity of which it fills almost the whole 

 space. Besides, the strength of the insect 

 would be unequal to moving so great a load. 



From time to time I go to the jar for in- 

 formation and on every occasion the same 

 evidence is forthcoming. I see the mother, 

 hoisted on top of the lump, feeling here, 

 feeling there, bestowing little taps, smoothing 

 away the projecting points, perfecting the 



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