218 LITTLE FOLKS 
caterpillar in their jaws, but what was the fate of the unhappy crea- 
ture is not told. 
They can be tamed. One man had one which would follow 
him anywhere, when lie offered it Loney. They only fly about in 
the evening. 
The grub of this Beetle is supposed to be the kind which was 
a favori e dish among the ancient Romans — curious taste those 
old fellows must have had. 
On the opposite page, is another interesting creature, no less a 
personage than the Sacred Beetle of the Egyptians. It is often 
seen painted and cut in stone, among the works of that ancient 
race. It is about an inch long, and not a great beauty, as you see. 
In fact, there is nothing specially wonderful or interesting about it, 
except the way in which it provides for the comfort of its babies. 
It is a hard working and very useful little creature, so we must 
respect and admire it for these qualities. The life business of 
this little Beetle, is to dispose of, and put out of sight, disagreeable 
substances that would make the very air unpleasant in some parts 
of the world, and this he does in the curious manner you see in 
the picture, by making it into balls and burying it. 
This is the way it goes to work. The smelling organs, or 
some other organs, of the Beetle are very keen, and no sooner does 
it become aware of a disagreeable substance, than it goes to work 
digging a hole in the ground near by. When this is done, the 
insect returns to the desired object, makes of it a ball, and proceeds 
to roll this ball about in the dirt, till it is rather hard on the outside, 
and has a coating of dust. I should have mentioned that before 
the ball is started, an egg is placed in it. 
When it is rolled long enough, the industrious little worker 
pushes it into the hole which is ready for it, and covers it up with 
dirt. In due time the egg hatches out, the young grub eats up 
the food provided by its mother, and comes out — after awhile — a 
perfect Beetle itself. 
We have one of this family of Beetles in our country — and 
more than one, for all I know. Its popular name is the Tumble 
Bug, and I dare say you have often seen it, rolling its balls about 
in the road. This work is done by the hind legs, and the creature 
looks as though it was standing on its head. 
There's one good thing about these little Beetles. Although 
they work in the most disagreeable of substances, they are always 
