COLEOPTERA. 
55 7 
of the abdomen. They are generally black, but some are 
colored with rich metallic hues. They vary greatly in size. 
The name tumble-bug refers to the habit which many 
species exhibit of forming round balls of dung, which they 
roll long distances. They work in pairs, a male and a female 
working together; and often the ball is several times as 
large as their combined size. They finally bury the ball in 
the ground, and the female deposits an egg in one side of 
it; this partially decomposed matter serves as food for the 
larva when it hatches. It should be noted that this is one 
of the instances, rare among insects, where the male realizes 
that he has some responsibility as a father, and assists the 
female in providing for the young. 
This strange habit of rolling these balls has occasioned 
much speculation as to its object, and has been the source 
of many superstitions, especially in ancient times. The 
only reasonable theory that we have met is that as many 
predaceous insects frequent the masses of dung from which 
the balls are obtained, in order to prey upon the larvae which 
live there, the more intelligent tumble bugs remove the food 
for their larvae to a safe distance. 
The most noted member of this group of genera is the 
Sacred Beetle of the Egyptians, Ateuchus sacer (A-teu'chus 
sa'cer). This insect was held in high veneration by this 
ancient people. It was placed by them in the tombs with 
their dead; its picture was painted on sarcophagi, and its 
image was carved in stone and precious gems. These sculp¬ 
tured beetles can be found in almost any collection of 
Egyptian antiquities. 
From the habits and structure of this Scarabaeid the 
Egyptians evolved a remarkable symbolism. The ball, 
which the beetles were supposed to roll from sunrise to 
sunset, represented the earth; the beetle itself personified 
the sun, because of the sharp projections on its head, which 
extend out like rays of light; while the thirty segments of 
its six tarsi represented the days of the month. All indi- 
