SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



271 



CHAPTERS FOR YOUNG NATURALISTS. 



{Continued from page 176.) 



BRITISH BURYING BEETLES. 



By E. J. Burgess Sopp, F.E.S. 



Ge?ius Necrophorus (Carrion-bearer). 

 UROM our nursery days onwards we have been 

 taught to regard as patterns of perfection 

 the industrious ant and the busy bee — that is, of 

 course, in their strictly story-book characters, for, 

 sad to relate, one of these models of virtue is 

 occasionally met with in a state of intoxication. 



There is, however, another member of the insect 

 world whose great sagacity and aptitude for hard 

 work quite entitle him to a place beside the ant 

 and the bee, as an example of perseverance and 

 industry. This is the " sexton " or " burying 

 beetle," which, like the bee, also works for its 

 offspring rather than itself. 



The observant rambler must have often been 

 struck during country walks with the thought of 

 how seldom one comes across the dead body of an 

 animal or bird, notwithstanding, with the abundance 

 of life everywhere apparent around, every hour 

 some must be dying sudden or natural deaths. If 

 of an inquiring turn of mind it is not unlikely the 

 rambler may place in the open the carcase of a 

 bird, mole, rat, or other small animal, sufficiently 

 protected from cats and dogs, and note the period 

 required for its disintegration. Should such be the 

 case, upon visiting the spot a couple of days later 

 one will in all probability find, unless in the depth 

 of winter or the ground be too hard, that the body 

 has sunk in a remarkable degree, perhaps almost 

 entirely disappeared. Upon gently lifting it, the 

 cause of this strange proceeding will become mani- 

 fest in the shape of two or more robust-looking 

 insects of either a black or black and yellow 

 striped coloration. These are burying beetles j 

 go called from their habit of interring any small 

 carcase which they may happen to discover. 

 Their sense of smell is exceedingly keen, their 

 wings powerful and of ample proportions, which 

 enable them to seek their food over wide areas ; 

 and it is astonishing how quickly they find it, 

 no matter how cunningly it may be hidden. They 

 should never be destroyed, as apart from tending 

 to enrich the soil, they act as general scavengers 

 and do incalculable good by removing matter 

 which might otherwise quickly become a source 

 of annoyance, and possibly of danger, to man. 



Sexton beetles usually work in couples, male 

 and female, and there may be either one or 

 several pairs, according to the amount of food 

 available and work to be done. Having found 

 their quarry and satisfied their hunger, for they 



feed on carrion, the beetles immediately com- 

 mence to dig out the soil in a ring around it. 

 In this work the male is most assiduous, his 

 partner as a rule assisting little, if at all. The 

 earth is scooped out by means of the head, the 

 muscles of the neck being powerful and well 

 adapted to the purpose, then the displaced soil is 

 pushed further back with the aid of the legs. 

 When a sufficiently wide trench has been made, the 

 beetle crawls still deeper under its prey, and digs 

 round again, so continuing to labour, with occa- 

 sional short spells of rest, for long hours together ; 

 the carcase slowly, but perceptibly, sinking lower 

 and lower as the soil is excavated from below. 

 When sunk to an adequate depth, the female 

 beetle burrows down to lay her eggs in or beneath 

 it ; the male at once commencing to throw back 

 the loose earth, soon covering both. Having 

 deposited eggs in proportion to the amount of 

 food available, the female forces her way to the 

 surface, and rejoins her spouse, who meanwhile 

 has been indulging in well-earned repose ; then, 

 spreading their wings, they set out in quest of 

 another suitable object for the continuation of 

 their parental toil. 



It may be asked, why do the beetles bury the 

 carcase ; would not the eggs hatch if it were left on 

 the surface ? Under favourable conditions un- 

 doubtedly they would, were it undisturbed, but 

 the insects are too wise to trust to chance. The 

 carrion might be devoured by carnivorous animals, 

 or the larvae when hatched be eaten by reptiles or 

 birds. Besides, they know how fickle is our 

 climate, and so by burying the food not only is it 

 protected from the immediate effects of weather, 

 but putrefaction and disintegration are delayed, 

 thus ensuring its lasting a longer time for the use 

 of their offspring. When hatched, the larvae feed 

 on the provision made for them until full-grown, 

 then burrowing still further down, they construct 

 a cell, and assume the pupal form, in which state 

 they remain, until, later on as perfect insects, they 

 force their way to the surface, and themselves at 

 once embark upon the serious business of life. In 

 appearance these grubs are decidedly unattractive, 

 being of a dirty yellowish-white, with the head - 

 and other corneous parts of a browner hue. 



There are many different kinds of burying 

 beetles, scattered for the most part over Northern 

 Asia, Europe, and North America, few appearing 

 to inhabit tropical regions. Of these, eleven species 



