Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 July 1871 — The Sexton Beetle. [ARTICLE]

The Sexton Beetle.

Not many years ago there lived a man in Germany, I think, who Whs extremely fond of studying the habit* of •animals ,• so ranch so that ho devoted almost all his time to the observation of insects, becoming what is termed by scientific men an entomologist. He had, from time to time placed in his garden the dead bodios of moles and mice, and as often had missed them, for they all soon disappeared In a most mysterious manner. He determined one day to discover, if possible, the cause cf this :so he placed himself on gnard over one or two fresh bodies, and commenced his watch. It was not long before ho beheld some beetles alight upon them. His interest was, of course, ex dted, and be watched them through the whole of-their work, which ended In tire burial of the dead bodies. Not feeling satisfied with this, and wishing to Watch their proceedings more carefully, ho cap-

tured four of these insect grave diggers and encaged them within a glass caso half filled with earth, placing upon the surface of the same two uead frogs, one of which was buried in twelve hours, and the other on the third day. Then ho placed in the case a dead bird, and the beetles immediately began their operations by removing the earth from beneath, tugging now and then at the feathers from below in order to drag it into the grave. The male now drove off the Tcmale, and continued the work all alone for five long hours, now lifting up the body, then turning and arranging it In its grave, and criming out front time to time to mount the carcass and tread it under foot At length, apparently fatigued with hard work, lie came forth, and resting his head upon the earth, sank into a slumber, not exhibiting the slightest motion for full an hou(, when he again set to work. Next morning the bird was an inch and a half below the surface, and at evening it hail sunk an inch lower. In Another day the work was completed, and the body covered*. Ha-added other dead bbdies from time to’ time, so that the four beetled deposited in graves* within that narrow cemetery, no less than twelve bodies in fifteen days. Now what do you think of your beetlesf I once read of an ingenious comparison between the strength of this beetle and that of a man; which, calculating a mole to be forty times as large as the beetle, showed that a man to do an equal amount of labor in proportion so his size, would have to inter in two days an animal forty times as large as himself. —Our Young Folks.