THE BURYING BEETLE. 243 



Removed. To succeed in these efforts, they leaned 

 themselves strongly upon their collars, and, bend- 

 ing down their heads, forced out the earth around 

 the bird like a kind of rampart. The work being 

 finished, and the bird having fallen into the hollow, 

 they covered it, and thus closed the grave. 



It appeared as if the bird moved alternately its 

 head, its tail, its wings, or feet. Every time that 

 any of these movements were observed, the efforts 

 that the beetles made to draw the bodv into the 

 grave, which was now nearly completed, might be 

 remarked : in effecting this, they jointly drew it by 

 its feathers below. This operation lasted full two 

 hours, when the smallest or male beetle drove away 

 the female from the grave, and would not allow her 

 to return, forcing her to enter the hole as often as 

 she attempted to come out of it. 



This beetle continued the work alone for at least 

 five hours ; and it was truly astonishing to observe 

 the great quantity of earth that he removed in that 

 time: but the surprise of Mr. G. was much aug- 

 mented when he saw the little animal stiffening its 

 collar, and exerting all its strength, lift up the bird, 

 make it change its place, turn, and, in some mea- 

 sure, arrange it in the grave that it had prepared; 

 which was so spacious, and so far cleared, that he 

 could perceive exactly under the bird all the move- 

 ments and all the actions of the beetle. 



From time to time the beetle, coming out of its 

 hole, mounted upon the bird, and appeared to tread 

 it down ; then, returning to the charge, it drew the 



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