The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-07-05

blsbug Helps When 1t Sticks.
There Is found In every state OF the Un.
ion little insect that used to be n god.
His history is a wonderful account Of ups
and downs. You would never guess from
his personal appearance that he was once
worshiped by human beings, for he is very
plain and modest looking. He goes about
his daily toll in the most cheerful and
matter Of fact way, seemingly more inter
ested In rearing heirs than in studying an
oestors. He reoks not that his name was
once sacred scarabmus Of the Egyptians.
Today he Is plain Mr. Tumblebug, at your
service.
But the tumblebug is Of great interest
In himself, leaving out all mention Of his
history. This is an account Of the peculiar
manner in which the Matching Of the egg
Is provided for. After being laid 1t Is i'm
mcdiately rolled up in ball Of mud and
manure about the size Of big MARBLE
When the ball Is thoroughly dried Mr.. and
Mrs. Tumblebug start 1t rolling In search
Of some convenient place in which to bury
1t. This place may not be fond for some
yards, and the ingenuity displayed in "navi-
eating" 1t over that distance is far greater
than that shown by some human beings In
their chosen business.
In the first place, the ball Is round
This of course, is the best form for roll
ing. But even then the slightest Unequal
ity Of the ground or even blade of grasn
would present u serious obstacle. OF course
IL the tumblebug were as big as mouse
he could carry the ball in his mouth; IL he
were adapted for pushing, he could move
1t In that way, but unfortunately he Is
In ha n mil Tn
of so many difficulties he illustrates the
old saying that there is more than one way
of killing cat.
The method is this. Mrs. Tumblebug
climbs up on top Of the ball and gets good
and ready to move toward the front edge,
so as to start 1t going. Mr.. IT. stands on
his head behind, with front feet on the
ground, while the hind feet and the tip of
the abdomen aro against the ball When
all is ready, Mr. L. gives the signal (sup-
posedly), Mrs. L. gives lurch forward,
and, lo they're off. Mrs. 7. usually has
worry bad luck Immediately after the start
for almost invariably she is carried to the
ground, and tho ball rolls over her. But
che is very good natured about 1t. She
doesn't get cross, or refuse to play any
more. She just climbs out from under,
shakes the dust out of her skirts mounts
the ball again and Is ready for another
start.
If down grade Is encountered, the
work is SO much tho easier, although bugs
and ball will frequently land in a heap at
the bottom. But when an up grade or a
large obstacle intervenes the trouble Is
very great. In such case tumblebugs
will do one Of two things. They will either
desert the ball or go in search of help. In
the former case another family will fire..
quently happen along and take charge Of
affairs, just US If the ball were their own.
In the latter case the neighbors always
turn ont, II there are any such.
If you handle tumblebugs while they
are at work, they remain very quiet until
you are through, and then resume rolling
the ball Nothing seems to disturb them.
After the ball has fairly started, the
bugs frequently leave 1t, running around
without apparent reason. They are, how.
ever, searching for a good place Of deposit.
The hole in which 1t finally rests is several
Inches and often foot or more in depth,
and in order that the bugs may be able to
excavate IL tho digging" must be good.
When the site is once chosen, n queer
method of making the hole is resorted to.
The way of rolling the ball is common.
place compared to 1t. You would natural.
hole and then push the ball into It. No
such thing. They quite reverse this proc.
ess. One OF the bugs gets under the ball
and digs with his hind legs, throwing the
dirt out around the edges. As he gets
lower the ball sinks with him, and when
the hole is deep enough he digs his way
around the bull, which has followed him
all the way, and then pushes up through
the loose dirt to the surface. What he does
for fresh air during this process is some
thing that no man can find ont.
When the egg matches in It's suhterra
mean abode the Larvae feed on the material
of their envelope. In course Of timo they
surround themselves with the same ma
terial, cemented together with gelati.
nous substance exuded from their bodies
and later emerge as perfect Insects. The
ancient Romans esteemed the larvae of the
tumblebug as a great delicacy. They were
eaten after boing fried a delicate brown.
Modern epicures have taken to snails.
The Egyptian variety Of the tumble.
bug which is also found over Africa and
southern Europe is just the same as that
found in the United States, except that il
is twice as large. In shape, color and
habits 1t Is identical. Its shell Is very
hard, and the legs, particularly the hind
ones, mrs very strong. This makes the in.
sect we'll adapted for digging. The sense
of smell Is wonderfully developed, and foI
this reason the tumblebug is exceedingly
valuable in its particular work for man,
kind 1t was created for scavengor.
BY man this renowned insect has beer
exempted from the humble lot Of most Of
its tribe. The ancient Egyptians consid
cred 1t sacred and paid it divine honors
They represented 1t on temples, oboliskt
and statues and inclosed 1t In collins witt
| the embalmed bodies of the dead. 1t wa.
| favorite deity, representing the sun. A,
| typical of the luminary which is the sourct
of light and heat it came likewise to be re
garded as the emblem of fertility, and 1t |,
eaten by Egyptian women TO this day un
| der the idea that 1t is efflcacious.
| 1t Is not difficult to SEQ how the tumble
bug should come to represent the sun
| The ball is rolled backward by the insect
i just as the larger ball (the earth) is by TIN
sun. In its ar0uous and inoessant labor
4 the tumblebug resembles the sun. Its sil
legs have Eve joints each, or 30 in all
This is equal to the number of days tin
| sun remains in each sign Of the zodiac
There are dozen other reasons given b,
ancient writer's explaining why the tumble
bug was chosen to represent the sun
Whether they are true or not we do no
know. OF tho fact that 1t was SO chosei
we are certaip.-New York Herald.
-- -
| Never Satisfied.
| wife--Thomas, 1 wish you would lie