Earthworm versus Beetle. 347 



And I have seen one of the so-called "lords of creation," 

 with all the mechanical skill and ingenuity he could 

 command, entiiely baffled in removing a boulder out of his 

 way, certainly not much more than his own weight ; so 

 that to " view the Ant's labours " would seem to convey 

 no "wisdom" to such feckless and thowless specimens of 

 humanity. But tliis little black Beetle quite understood the 

 herculean task before it, and was perfectly equal to the 

 occasion. 



The Worm was lying straight out on the gravel, and the 

 first manoeuvre of the Beetle was to make direct for the tail, 

 to which it evidently gave a sharp bite, resulting in its 

 being instantly jerked upward in a curled position, about a 

 couple of inches ; and this seemed exactly what the Beetle 

 had calculated upon, from its knowledge of the nature of 

 its huge victim. Then, as if to deceive the Worm, and 

 meanwhile endeavour to maintain as friendly relations with 

 it as possible, the Beetle set off towards the head, not going 

 in a straight line however, that would have been impolitic ; 

 but in a wide semicircle, creating the impression that it had 

 turned away from the Worm altogether. This done, it 

 suddenly wheeled round and made for the head, and, as if 

 to convey to the Worm the feeling that it had had no 

 ''hand" in the world with the bite to the tail, it embraced 

 the head with its two fore legs, which the Worm seemed 

 to appreciate — as the Beetle no doubt intended it should — 

 and thus succeeded in enticing the worm to draw itself up 

 till the curled tail came into a straight line with the rest 

 of the body. Then careering away round about again in a 

 wide circuit, it administered another bite to the tail, with 

 the result of another jerk upwards, and then followed 

 another circuitous journey up to the head, and another 

 clasping round the neck in the same fond fashion, with a 

 like result ; so that what with alternately biting the tail, 

 and hugging the head, it was perfectly astonishing how 

 rapidly the heavy Worm was persuaded to transport itself 

 over the five feet of gravel walk that separated it from the 

 space under the wooden floor, its final destination. 



