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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 279, 27 November 1869, Page 2

A Wonderful Insect. — The scavenger beetle is oae of the most useful of all insects, as it really performs the duties indicated by its name. In hot climates they abound, says the World of Wonders^ in many villiages, which are always sweet and clean, and very unlike those that have to trust to the cleanliness of the natives. No sooner are any pieces of offal or excrement dropped tha,n, attracted by the scent, the scavengers are heard humming along as fast as their wings will carry them. They roll away the droppings of cattle at once in round pieces, often as large as billiard-balls; and when they reach a place fitted by its softness for the deposit of their eggs and the Safety of their young, they dig the soil put from beneath the ball until, they' have, quite let it down and covered it. *; They then lay their eggs wiiliin the mass. While the

young grubs are growing they devour the inside of the. ball before coming above ground to begin the world for themselves. The beetles, with their gigantic ball, look like Atlas with the world on his back ; only they go backwards, with their heads down, and push with their hind legs, as if a boy should roll a suow-ball with his legs while standing on his head. Dead birds, lizards, and all sorts of unpleasant things are thus got rid of and made useful to the young of this important little beetle.