COLEOPTERA — BEETLES. 235 



The Burying Beetles, sometimes called the 

 " Sextons," exhibit a very interesting kind of in- 

 stinct in providing for their larvae. These Necro- 

 phori, as they are sometimes called, are some of 

 them very handsome, being most frequently red or 

 orange-coloured, and finely spotted or barred with 

 black. Gledetsch, in his " Becreations of Natural 

 History," published in 1765, has given a very in- 

 teresting account of their habits. He tells us that 

 if a dead reptile or piece of flesh is placed as a bait 

 for them at the proper season, they appear in an 

 incredibly short time, guided no doubt by an ex- 

 tremely keen sense of smell, which enables them to 

 scent it from a considerable distance. When they 

 arrive, they appear to survey the object with a certain 

 kind of deliberation, as though taking the measure 

 of its dimensions ; after which they at once com- 

 mence digging underneath, and sometimes bury it 

 above a foot deep, the whole operation occupying 

 but a few hours. When the work is complete, the 

 female deposits her eggs upon the object, and it is 

 then covered up so as to leave but little trace of 

 the performance. 



An instance is recorded of the singular manner 

 in Avhich their instinct enables them to overcome 

 unexpected difficulties when they occur. A Mole, 



