BEETLES. 
227 
they continue their work by rolling olf the next ball that comes 
in their way. None of them seem to know their own balls, but 
an equal care for the whole appears to affect all the community. 
They form these pellets while the dung remains moist, and 
leave them to harden in the sun before they attempt to roll 
them. In their rolling of them from place to place, both they 
and the balls may frequently be seen tumbling about over the 
little eminences that are in their way. They are not, however, 
easily discouraged, and by repeating their attempts usually 
surmount the difficulties. 1 
Buchner speaks of the fact that dung-beetles co-operate 
in their work as one that is well established, but gives no 
authorities or references . 2 A friend of my own, however, 
informs me that she has witnessed the fact ; and in view 
of analogous observations made on other species of Coleop- 
tera, I see no reason to doubt this one. Some of these 
observations I may here append. 
Herr Gollitz writes to Buchner thus : — 
Last summer, in the month of July, I was one day in my 
field, and found there a mound of fresh earth like a molehill, 
on which a striped black and red beetle, with long legs, and 
about the size of a hornet, was busy taking away the earth 
from a bole that led like a pit into the mound, and levelling 
the place. After I had watched this beetle for some time, I 
noticed a second beetle of the same kind, which brought a little 
lump of earth from the interior to the opening of the hole, and 
then disappeared again in the mound ; every four or five minutes 
a pellet came out of the hole, and was carried away by the first- 
named beetle. After I had watched these proceedings for about 
half an hour, the beetle which had been working underground 
came out and ran to its comrade. Both put their heads together, 
and clearly held a conversation, for immediately afterwards they 
changed work. The one which had been working outside went 
into the mound, the other took the outside labour, and all vrent 
on vigorously. I watched the affair still for a little longer, and 
went away with the notion that these insects could understand 
each other just like men. Klingelhbffer, of Darmstadt (in 
Brehm, loc. cit., ix., p. 86), says : — A golden running beetle came 
to a cockchafer lying on its back in the garden, intending to eat 
it, but was unable to master it ; it ran to the next bush, and 
1 Quoted by Bingley, Anivial Biography , vol. iii., p. 118. 
2 Loc. cit., p. 341. 
