The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-08-07
1T WAS ONCE A GOD.
WHY THE TUMeLEeuG WAS WOR-
SHIPPED BY EGYPTIANS.


biebug Helps When IL Sticks.
There Ia found In every state OF the On
Ion little insect that used TO be god.
His history is 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
cestors. He recks not that his name was
once sacred scarabDus Of the Egyptians.
Today he isplain 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 hatohing of the egg
Is provided for. After being laid IL is i'm
mediately 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 IL 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" it over that distance Is far greater
than that shown by some human beings in
their chosen business.
In the first place, tho ball Is round
This, of course, Is the best form for roll
ing. But even then the slightest inequal-
ity of the ground or even "a blade of grass
would present a serious obstacle. OF course
IL the tumblebug were as big as a mouse
he could carry the ball In his mouth; IL he
were adapted for pushing, he could move
Il In that way, but unfortunately be Is
neither. In solving the problem in spite
Of SO many difficulties he illustrates tho
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.. T. stands on
his head behind, With front feet on the
ground, while the hind feet and the tip of
the abdomen are against the ball. When
all is ready, Mr.. Il. gives the signal (sup-
posedly), Mrs. IT, gives lurch forward,
and, lol they're of. Mrs. L. usually has
very bad luck Immediately after the start,
for almost invariably she is carried TO the
ground, and the ball rolls over her. But
she is very good natured about IL. She
doesn't get cross, or refuse 10 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.
II down grade Is encountered, the
work is so much the easier, although bugs
and ball will frequently land in 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
hall in nf hpl
the former case, another family will fire.
quently happen along and take charge Of
affairs just as IL the ball were their own.
In the latter case the neighbors always
turn out If there are any such.
III you handle tumblebugs while they
arc 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 IL, running around
without apparent reason. They are how
ever searching for good place of deposit.
The hole in which IL finally rests is several
inches and often foot or more In depth,
and in order that the bugs may be able to
excavate il the digging must be good.
When the site Is once chosen, a queer
method OF making the hole Is resorted to-
The way of rolling the ball is common
place compared it You would natural
ly think that the bugs would first dig the
hole and then push the ball into 1t. 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 ball, 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 out.
When tho egg matches In its subterra-
mean abode tho Larvae feed on the material
of their envelope. In course of time they
surround themselves with tho same ma
terial, cemented together with a gelati-
nous substance exuded from their bodies
and later emerge as perfect insects. The
ancient Romans esteemed the larvae of the
tumblebug rs great delicacy. They were
eaten after being fried a delicate brown.
Modern cpicures haze taken to snails.
The Egyptian vavfety 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 II
is twice as large. In shape, color and
nhDllS lU is lutlllCbi us Slitll iS very
hard, and the legs, particularly tho hifd
ones are very strong This makes the IN
sect well adapted for digging. The sehse
of smell is wonderfully developed, and for
this reason the tumblebug is exceedingly
valuable in its particular work for man
kind. IL was created for scavenger.
BY man this renowned insect has beer
exempted from the humble lot of most OF
its tribe. The ancient Egyptians consid
cred it sacred and paid il divine honors
They represented it on temples, obelisk:
and statues and inclosed IL In collins with
the cmbalmCd bodies of the dead. 1t was
favorite deity, representing the sun. AZ
| typical OF tho luminary which Is the source
OF light and heat IL came likewise TO be re
| gardcd as the emblem of fertility, and IL 1,
eaten by Egyptian women TO this day un
der the idea that IL is cf1icacious.
1t Is not difficult to see how the tumble
bug should come to represent the sun
1 mt Il IL n. IL.