GRAVE-DIGGING BEETLE. 
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loosened the end of the stick, which was fixed in 
the earth, so that both fell together, and were then 
buried by the insects. 
This singular occupation, which lasts from the 
middle of April to the end of October, is a task en- 
joined these beetles by nature, and the bodies are 
intended for the nourishment of the future progeny. 
The eggs which the parent insect deposits in the 
putrid substance are in process of time hatched into 
larvae, which grow to more than an inch in length. 
These in their turn change into yellowish chrysa- 
lides, which after remaining about eighteen days in 
their oval cells, under ground, become perfect bee- 
tles, and begin to dig graves for the benefit of the 
next generation. 
This species is found in different parts of Europe, 
and in North America ; it is likewise found in seve- 
ral parts of our own country. 
