minute, on the wood of my table, they cover a distance of eight inches. The
pace is no swifter on a horizontal bed of sifted mould. A strip of glass
reduces the distance covered by one half. The slippery surface only half
paralyses this strange method of locomotion.

We will now place side by side with the Cetonia-grub the larva of the
Morning Anoxia, the prey of the Interrupted Scolia. It is very like the
larva of the Common Cockchafer. It is a fat, pot-bellied grub, with a
thick, red cap on its head and armed with strong, black mandibles, which
are powerful implements for digging and cutting through roots. The legs are
sturdy and end in a hooked nail. The creature has a long, heavy, brown
paunch. When placed on the table, it lies on its side; it struggles without
being able to advance or even to remain on its belly or back. In its usual
posture it is curled up into a narrow hook. I have never seen it straighten
itself completely; the bulky abdomen prevents it. When placed on a surface
of moist sand, the ventripotent creature is no better able to shift its
position: curved into a fish-hook, it lies on its side.

To dig into the earth and bury itself, it uses the fore-edge of its head, a
sort of weeding-hoe with the two mandibles for points. The legs take part
in this work, but far less effectually. In this way it contrives to dig
itself a shallow pit. Then, bracing itself against the wall of the pit,
with the aid of wriggling movements which are favoured by the short, stiff
hairs bristling all over its body, the grub changes its position and
plunges into the sand, but still with difficulty.

Apart from a few details, which are of no importance here, we may repeat
this sketch of the Anoxia-grub and we shall have, if the size be at least
quadrupled, a picture of the larva of Oryctes nasicornis, the monstrous
prey of the Garden Scolia. Its general appearance is the same: there is the