Onthophagi and Oniticelli 



the native well, a few Onthophagus- and 

 Onlticellus-thimbles, first contriving an open- 

 ing in the side which will enable me to see 

 what happens within. I close the tubes with 

 a plug of cotton and keep them in a shady 

 part of my study. Evaporation must be 

 very slight in these impermeable and more- 

 over plugged sheaths. Nevertheless it is 

 enough to produce in a few days a degree 

 of dryness which is fatal to feeding. 



I see the starvelings remain motionless, 

 unable to bite into the hateful crust; I see 

 them lose their plumpness, I see them wrinkle 

 and shrivel and at last, in a fortnight's time, 

 take on all the appearance of death. I re- 

 place the dry cotton with wet cotton. The 

 atmosphere in the tubes becomes damp; the 

 thimbles are gradually saturated v/ith the 

 moisture, swell out and soften; and the dying 

 come back to life. They do so to such good 

 purpose that the whole cycle of the meta- 

 morphoses is safely accomplished, on condi- 

 tion that the wet cotton be renewed from time 

 to time. 



My carefully-graduated artificial shower, 

 with its damped cotton to represent the 

 clouds, inspires that return to life. It is like 

 a resurrection. In the normal conditions 

 prevailing in the torrid, rain-grudging month 



257 



