The Bull Onthophagus: the Cell 



new cells keeps her busy elsewhere. More- 

 over — and this is a more serious point — 

 the laying takes place egg by egg, at very 

 long intervals, and the hatching is pretty 

 slow: time would fail, had the family to be 

 brought up in the manner of the Pigeons. 

 Another method is perforce required. The 

 infants' food is disgorged all over the walls 

 of the cabin, in such a way that the nurseling 

 finds itself surrounded with an abundance of 

 bread-and-jam, in which the bread, the meat 

 for the strong, is represented by the un- 

 cooked material, as supplied by the Sheep, 

 while the jam, the food for the babe, is 

 represented by the same material daintily 

 prepared beforehand in the mother's 

 stomach. We shall see the grub presently 

 lick first the jam all around it and then 

 stoutly attack the bread. One of our own 

 children would behave no otherwise. 



I should have liked to catch the mother 

 in the act of disgorging and spreading her 

 broth. I did not succeed in doing so. The 

 proceedings take place in a tiny niche ; and 

 the busy cook blocks out the view. Also her 

 fluster at being exhibited in broad daylight 

 at once arrests the work. 



If direct observation be lacking, at least 

 the appearance of the material and the result 



395 



