Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-06-16
Barsed ~ Bass.

4 b -
The little fellows bad evidently taken
possession OF the reptile, with purpose
M converting il 70 their hole; but AsfhefS
size wss 90 ridiculously dspro2ordoned
to fhst Of their dead prize. was defer.
mined toHudy their nanr1yers, 70 zee u
they would he sbie TO accomplish IL On
IN exsninxsion Of the grousd N the
peighborh0od, I discovered at distance
of nearly yard from the spot where the
make VISA lying, small hole 10 the soil
nearly the diAmeter of . half dollar. The
efoyt. Of the beetles we're apparently be
ing directed TO the conveyance OF the tai
m the reptile 10 this opening II the
gruund, and. e II was evidently IN awk-
ward thing 70 do. their ingenuity Mas
taxed TO the utmost, and Watched the
opers.ion with En- Sbsorbing interest.
After o vigorous tugying st the animals
tail, which had became slighty ssaEenaA
ard which, responding to their efforts,
would raore 20 the right and left, but
never placing itself directly m front Of the
aperture, the beetles would appear 70 be
uerrlexed bow next 10 proceed they
continued, however, To act IN concert;
and. after working fora ~tile at the ex-
srsmify, they woHld uniformly proceed to-
aeshey towards the other, any lying upon
Their backs beneath the head, they would,
villa their united LEGS, RECOMMENDS their
vigorous pushing process, and SO elective
" that. n the space Of ten or fifteen
minutes they had rnssed the makes body
two OF three ieet from the original posi-
ton but Sill the tail persis.sntly refused
10 enter the hole
Suddenly, the labor ceased altogether,
the two Iitlle beetles entered their hole,
and began 70 conclude that they had al
last found their prey too ponderous for
them 10 manage. Ny interest, neverthe-
less, was % much excited that could
not leave the spot, and / continued TO
wstch, almost certain that they would re-
eeres:
Al length, thought saw breaking
Of the earth al place directly opposite
the point where the serpent's tail rested.
And. almost isnmed sfesy, the two beetles
Issued from the second hole, winch they
had been preparing. They forthwith
seized the end OF the serpent's tail, and
by determining effort, lying upon sheir
oscks, in the manner befsre described,
they grcseeGesi IL forcing lis point 70 en-
Ter t.Eis new orifce in the ground, and
then going themselves inside Of it, Icould
distinctly see the whole body OF the snake
move slowly forward, as If il were being
pulled by their united efforts.
The beetles worked at the snake much
of the day, and in the afternoon when ]
vss able TO visit the spot again, observed
that nearly three-quarters of the dead
snake had disappeared in the hole. Twas
examiuing carefnlly the earth IN the vi
entity 0f the head Of the snake, when
was witness of the most interesting
operation Of tins altogether singular
proceeding thought / detected q
slightly usculatibg motion IN the broken
ioarn 1t coEfinued to increase, until the
entire surface, for q length of three inciies
extending parallel with the serpent's head
and neck, appeared to be elevated into q
little mound The mound gradually In
creased IA height, until the entire mass ID
earth Was slowly lifted, and then precipi-
tated upon Q portion of the body which
had, until then, remained uncovered. and
In seconds time the snake was as eftectu-
ally buried rs IL II had sunk foot below
the surface.
The little beetles, emerging from the
heap, walked backward and forward over
the mound, and then disappeared entirely
from sight t 80 ~As+!t'
examined the SPOT the following morn
ing. but could not detect, even by remov'
ing portion Of the earth, the place where
the snake had been buried the evening
previous. Ne,ep0yt Nescs. se ll.e ~