The Sacred Beetle and Others 



illary sweating to take effect, if such a pro- 

 cess there be. Then I examine the cavity. 

 There is no shiny wash on the walls; they 

 look as dull and dry as at the beginning. 

 Three days later, I make a fresh inspection. 

 Nothing has changed: the pit made by the 

 glass rod shows no sign of exudation; it is 

 even a little drier. So capillary action and 

 its extravasations have nothing to do with 

 the matter. 



What then is the lime-wash that is found 

 in every cell? The answer is inevitable: it 

 is something produced by the mother, a 

 special gruel, a milk-food elaborated for the 

 benefit of the new-born grub. 



The young Pigeon puts his beak into that 

 of his parents, who, with convulsive efforts, 

 force down his gullet first a casein mash 

 secreted in the crop and later a broth of 

 grains softened by being partly digested. 

 He is fed upon disgorged foods, which are 

 kind to the frailty and inexperience of a 

 young stomach. The grub of the Ontho- 

 phagus is brought up in much the same way, 

 at the start. To assist its first attempts at 

 swallowing, the mother prepares for it, in 

 her crop, a light and strengthening cream. 



To pass the dainty from mouth to mouth 

 is impossible in her case: the construction of 



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