Onthophagi and Oniticelli 



the ages may encrust our medals, but it can 

 give them neither a new image nor a new 

 superscription. Nothing will give me the 

 wings of a bird, desirable though these would 

 be in the midst of our human squalor; nor 

 will anything bestow upon your adult age 

 the triumphal crest which your nymphal knob 

 seemed to prognosticate. 



The nymphs of both the Onthophagus and 

 the Oniticellus attain their maturity in some 

 twenty days. During August the adult form 

 appears with the half-white, half-red costume 

 which has become familiar to us in our earher 

 studies. The normal colouring is fixed 

 pretty quickly. Nevertheless the insect is In 

 no hurry to burst its shell; the difficulty would 

 be too great. It waits for the first showers 

 of September, which will come to its assist- 

 ance by softening the casket. The liberating 

 rain arrives; and behold. Issuing from the ^ 

 earth to rush after food, the joyous small fry 

 of the Onthophagi. 



Among the domestic secrets which my 

 cages reveal to me at this period, one above 

 all attracts my attention. I possess at the 

 same time, in separate establishments, the 

 newcomers and the veterans, which last are 

 as brisk and eager In their pursuit of the 



269 



