HISTORY OF INSECTS. 47 



purpose, and the graves are pierced with their 

 holes in every direction ; at evening, hundreds of 

 these beetles may be seen in the church-yards, 

 either buzzing over recent graves, or emerging 

 from them. 



144. The bury ing-beetle in this country seldom 

 finds so convenient a provision for him, and he is 

 under the necessity of taking much more trouble ; 

 he sometimes avails himself of dead dogs and 

 horses, but these are too great rarities to be his 

 constant resort : the usual objects of his search 

 are dead mice, rats, birds, frogs, and moles; of 

 these, a bird is most commonly obtained. 



145. In the neighbourhood of towns, every 

 kind of garbage that is thrown out attracts these 

 beetles as soon as it begins to smell ; and it is 

 not unusual to see them settling in our streets, 

 enticed by the grateful odour of such substances. 



146. The burying-beetles hunt in couples, 

 male and female ; and when six or eight are found 

 in a large animal, they are almost sure to be males 

 and females, in equal numbers : they hunt by 

 scent only, the chase being mostly performed 

 when no other sense would be very available, viz. 

 in the night. 



147. When they have found a bird, great 

 comfort is expressed by the male, who wheels 

 round and round above it, like an eagle, the 

 female settles on it at once, without this testi- 

 monial of satisfaction ; the male at last settles 



