The Sacred Beetle and Others 



the cake whereunder it has elected to set up 

 house; it goes down again with its burden, 

 which it spreads and presses upon the sandy 

 wall. Thus it produces a concrete casing, 

 the gravel of which is supplied by the wall 

 itself and the cement by the produce of the 

 Sheep. After a few trips and repeated 

 strokes of the trowel, the pit is plastered 

 on every side; the walls, encrusted all over 

 with grains of sand, are no longer liable to 

 give way. 



The cabin is ready: it now wants only a 

 tenant and stores. First, a large free space 

 is made at the bottom : the hatching-chamber, 

 where the egg is laid on the wall. Next 

 comes the collecting of the provisions in- 

 tended for the grub, a collecting done with 

 scrupulous care. Recently, when building, 

 the insect worked upon the outside of the 

 doughy mass and took no notice of the 

 earthy blemishes. Now, it penetrates to the 

 very centre of the lump, through a gallery 

 that looks as though it were made with a 

 punch. When trying a cheese, the buyer 

 employs a scoop, the hollow, cylindrical 

 taster which is driven well in and pulled out 

 with a sample taken from the middle of the 

 cheese. The Onthophagus, when collecting 

 for her grub, goes to work as though 



390 



