AND OTHER BEETLES
Alexander Teixeira de Mattos translation
BY
J. HENRI FABRE
TRANSLATED BY ALEXANDER TEIXEIRA DE MATTOS FELLOW OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON
NEW YORK DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 1924
COPYRIGHT, 1919 BY DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, INC.
CONTENTS
I THE GLOW-WORM
II THE SITARES
III THE PRIMARY LARVA OF THE SITARES
IV THE PRIMARY LARVA OF THE OIL-BEETLES
V HYPERMETAMORPHOSIS
VI CEROCOMÆ, MYLABRES AND ZONITES
VII THE CAPRICORN
VIII THE PROBLEM OF THE SIREX
IX THE DUNG-BEETLES OF THE PAMPAS
X INSECT COLOURING
XI THE BURYING-BEETLES: THE BURIAL
XII THE BURYING-BEETLES: EXPERIMENTS
XIII THE GIANT SCARITES
XIV THE SIMULATION OF DEATH
XV SUICIDE OR HYPNOSIS?
XVI THE CRIOCERES
XVII THE CRIOCERES (continued)
XVIII THE CLYTHRÆ
XIX THE CLYTHRÆ: THE EGG
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
This is the second volume on Beetles in the complete English edition of Henri Fabre's entomological works. The first is entitled The Sacred Beetle and Others; the second and the third will be known as The Life of the Weevil and More Beetles respectively.
The Glow-worm, which gives its name to the present book, did not form part of the Souvenirs entomologiques as originally published. It is one of two essays written specially, at my request, for translation into English, towards the close of Henri Fabre's life; in fact, this and The Ant-lion, a short essay for children, were the last works that came from the veteran author's pen. The Glow-worm appeared first in the Century Magazine. Of the remaining chapters, several have appeared in various periodicals, notably the English Review and in Land and Water, the editor and proprietors of which admirable weekly have shown the most enlightened interest in Fabre's work.
A part of the chapter entitled The Dung-beetles of the Pampas figures in Messrs. Adam & Charles Black's volume, The Life and Love of the Insect (New York: the Macmillan Co.), translated by myself; and the chapters on the Capricorn and Burying-beetles will be found in Mr. T. Fisher Unwin's volume, The Wonders of Instinct (New York: the Century Co.), translated by myself and Mr. Bernard Miall, which also contains The Glow-worm. These chapters are included in the present edition by consent of and arrangement with the publishers named.
Lastly, Mr. Bernard Miall has earned my gratitude by the valuable assistance which he has given me in preparing the translation of the greater part of this volume.
ALEXANDER TEIXEIRA DE MATTOS.
CHELSEA, 5 September, 1919.