The Sacred Beetle and Others 



The loaves kneaded with my paper-knife 

 are readily accepted. We will take advant- 

 age of this fact to make a few experiments. 

 Instead of the big, substantial cake, I fashion 

 a pill which is a replica in shape and size 

 of the three or four which the mother is 

 guarding after confiding the egg to them. 

 My imitation is a fairly good one. If 

 I were to mix up the two products, the 

 natural and the artificial, I might easily fail 

 to distinguish between them afterwards. 

 The counterfeit pill is placed in the jar, be- 

 side the other. The disturbed insect at 

 once hides in a corner, under a little sand. 

 I leave it in peace for a couple of days. 

 Then how great is my surprise to find the 

 mother on the top of my pill, digging a cup 

 into it! In the afternoon, the egg is laid 

 and the cup closed. I can only tell my pill 

 from those of the Copris by the place which 

 it occupies. I had put it at the extreme right 

 of the group and at the extreme right I find 

 it, duly operated on by the insect. How 

 could the Beetle know that this ovoid, so like 

 the others in every respect, was untenanted? 

 How did she allow herself unhesitatingly to 

 scoop the top into a crater when, judging 

 by appearances, there might be an egg just 

 underneath? She takes good care not to do 



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