The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-10-10
MODEL UNDERTAKES.
How the "seKton Beetle" Labors Il
Bury Its Fellow Creatures.

How the "seKton Beetle" Labors Il
Bury Its Fellow Creatures.
The two beetles were soon at t. ir post
They first ran around the body OF ne dead
fish until they met Then they ser ned to b'
confeFring for moment. Next thy passed
under the body at opposite sides and begaI
to lift. The head rose slowly and theI
both the toilers could be distinctly seen Al
work One was lying on his back with
feet in the air, lifting the upper part of tn,
fish from the ground His mate was JUS
behind him, standing upon her hind feet
her fore feet, anteDnB and mandible
wed9ed between the scales of the fish abov
her while she was thrusting forward with
all her might to push along the fish as hel
mate lifted. All in vaini There was still
no advance.
Again there seemed to be a conference
Then the head rose again, lifted as before
but when it had reached its utmost heigh
she reared herself upon her hind feet
braced herself so as to receive upon hei
head the whole weight and thus set fre,
the other beetle who ran around behinC
the fish, turned his back to it, worked him
self backwar under the fan of the tail un
til he was almost concealed from viey
then buried his orange colored antennae il
the earth, bumped his back, gave one reso
Lutte thrust and away went red throat
''little wife and all"
The movement had been so sudden thai
his companion was taken quite unawares
but though she was thrown some distance
with the weight of the whole fish upon bel
she did not seem at all discomfted, bul
was out and up on her feet again, evident
" delighted that more than an inch o.
progress had been made.
Thus, inch by inch, these two patien,
toilers carried their load, sometimes lftins
as l have described, sometimes tugg;ns
with their horny forceps, sometimes push
ing and thrus.ing with every posture ano
method. Ia half hour they had made
less than foot of progress.
Two hours later, when ! returned from 8
fishing jaunt along the stream, they hst
reached the edge Of the path. where thers
is a steep decline for eighteen inches TO
ward the stream n, and below it soft bed OF
sandy loan. AS il was the hour appointed
for luncheon, and my comrades had not
yet come, l waited TO witness the burial. OF
al least the steps toward it.
In few minutes the edge Of the steer
declivity had been reached One beetl,
was on his back under the fish, pushine
with all his might. The other was in front,
tugging with her teeth. Suddenly, as tht
verge was reached, the fish TOPPED: min
iature avalanche was set in motion. and
down to the bottom went the three. tht
fish on top, the TWO sections underneath.
The body being now IN place, excavs.
tons for its burial were Immediately be
gun. Each Of the beetles passing under
began to dig away the sol. and 10 thrust II
backward with the feet soon. all around
the body, at the distance of al fnch or sc
from it, reminding one CT the hasty IN.
trenchment about some military camp.
rose a little EN- bankment OF finely p1E
verized earth, which had been dug With
the strong fOrceps that served a. picks
and thrown back with the SIX horny Zee
that supplied tae place of shovsls. In
body gradually sank As TIE emosn kmesi
slowly rose, tie head lingering I0aEes,
above the original level
! returned from time 70 tine 20 watch
the PROCESS 0f the burial When tbe shad
ows of evening were falling. AK I -
turned for the last time. a portion Ct the
head was Still Visible. a. the rest be4aS