210 THE FOOD OF ANIMALS 



esting account of the habits of this species, as observed by 

 Fabre in Southern France, is given by Sharp (in The Cambridge 

 Natural History):— "Th&se insects act the part of scavengers 

 by breaking up and burying the droppings of cattle and other 

 animals. The female Scarabaeus detaches a portion of the dung 

 and forms it into a ball, sometimes as large as the fist; this it 



Fig. 443.— The Sacred Scarab [ScarabcFns sacer) 



rolls along by means of its hind-legs, by pushing, when necessary, 

 with its broad head, or by walking backwards and dragging the 

 ball with its front legs [notice in fig. 443 the suitability of these 

 parts for such uses]. The strength and patience displayed by 

 the creature in the execution of this task are admirable. Fre- 

 quently the owner of this small spherical property is joined, so 

 Fabre informs us, by a friend, who is usually of the same sex, 

 and assists her in pushing along the ball till a suitable place is 

 reached. When this is attained, the owner commences to ex- 

 cavate a chamber for the reception of the ball; sometimes the 



