The Geotrupes: the Public Health 



before and register the weather of the next 

 day. I use no thermometer, no barometer, 

 none of the scientific implements employed in 

 the meteorological observatories. I confine 

 myself to the summary information derived 

 from my personal impressions. 



The Geotrupes do not leave their burrows 

 until after sundown. With the last glimmer 

 of daylight, if the air be calm and the tem- 

 perature mild, they roam about, flying low 

 with a humming noise, seeking the materials 

 which have accumulated for them in the 

 course of the day. If they come upon some- 

 thing that suits them, they drop down heavily, 

 tumbling over in their clumsy eagerness, 

 thrust themselves into their new treasure and 

 spend the best part of the night in burying it. 

 In this way the dirt of the fields is made to 

 disappear in a single night. 



There is one condition indispensable to this 

 purging-process : the atmosphere must be still 

 and warm. Should it rain, the Geotrupes 

 will not stir out of doors. They have suf- 

 ficient resources underground for a prolonged 

 holiday. Should it be cold, should the north- 

 wind blow, they will not sally forth either. 

 In both cases, my cages remain deserted on 

 the surface. We will leave out of the quest- 

 Ion these periods of enforced leisure and con- 



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