76 
Psyche 
[June 
A cknowledgments 
I wish to acknowledge the helpfulness shown by the University of 
Florida in general and Mr. William M. Dunson in particular in 
extending to me the facilities of the Welaka Reserve, on which some 
of this study was carried out. Mr. O. L. Cartwright of the United 
States National Museum made the authoritative determinations 
identifying the specimens involved. To Dr. Howard E. Evans of the 
Museum of Comparative Zoology and Dr. F. M. Carpenter of the 
Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, I am particularly 
grateful for reading the manuscript and making many helpful 
suggestions. 
Methods 
The methods used consisted of sitting down and watching the 
activities of the scarabs after a quantity of human faeces or cow dung 
had been placed in a suitable location. Complete notes were taken 
describing the actions of the beetles involved, the rolling patterns 
were diagrammed in the field notebook, and pertinent data such as 
time in minutes, distances rolled (measured with a metric tape meas- 
ure), terrain features, wind direction, sun position, etc. were recorded. 
The author always camped in the immediate area of observation so 
that he could be present for every phase of activity from beginning 
to end. Often several days were spent in the same spot, and it need 
hardly be mentioned that every hour of observation represents many 
additional hours of waiting. No special techniques were used and 
no experimentation was attempted. Beetles were marked with dabs 
of clear nail polish mixed with oil paints in different color combina- 
tions for identification; these markings were found not to last for 
more than a day or so because of the burrowing activity of the beetles. 
The study was carried out near Arcadia, De Soto County, Florida, 
on 27 March, 1957, in the Osceola National Forest, Columbia 
County, Florida, on 7 — 1 1 June, 1957, near Brunswick, Glynn Coun- 
ty, Georgia, on 13 — 14 June, 1957, and near Welaka, Putnam Coun- 
ty, Florida, on 24 April — 6 May, 1961. 
The illustrations ( figs. 1 — 5 ) are traced exactly from, photographs 
taken by the author and may be considered completely accurate in 
regard to the positions and the attitudes of the beetles and the gen- 
eral size and shape of the balls. 
Distribution and Color Phases 
Canthon pilularius (L.) is widespread in the eastern half of the 
United States from extreme south-eastern Wyoming, Kansas, Okla- 
homa, and northern Texas eastward. It is replaced in most of Texas 
