AFFECTION OF INSECTS FOR THEIIl YOUNG. 351 



where it had been laid, he found it buried to the depth of 

 three inches, and under it four beetles which seemed to 

 have been the agents in this singular inhumation. Not 

 perceiving any thing particular in the mole, he buried it 

 again ; and on examining it at the end of six days he 

 found it swarming with maggots apparently the issue of 

 the beetles, which M. Gleditsch now naturally concluded 

 had buried the carcase for the food of their future young. 

 To determine these points more clearly, he put four of 

 these insects into a glass vessel half filled with earth and 

 properly secured, and upon the surface of the earth two 

 frogs. In less than twelve hours one of the frogs was 

 interred by two of the beetles : the other two ran about 

 the whole day as if busied in measuring the dimensions 

 of the remaining corpse, which on the third day was also 

 found buried. He then introduced a dead linnet. A 

 pair of the beetles were soon engaged upon the bird. 

 They began their operations by pushing out the earth 

 from under the body so as to form a cavity for its re- 

 ception ; and it was curious to see the efforts which the 

 beetles made by dragging at the feathers of the bird from 

 below to pull it into its grave. The male having driven 

 the female away continued the work alone for five 

 hours. He lifted up the bird, changed its place, turned 

 it and arranged it in the grave, and from time to time 

 came out of the hole, mounted upon it and trod it under 

 foot, and then retired below and pulled it down. At 

 length, apparently wearied with this uninterrupted la- 

 bour, it came forth and leaned its head upon the earth 

 beside the bird without the smallest motion as if to rest 

 itself, for a full hour, when it again crept under the 



