Chapter I: Front Matter

THE GLOW-WORM AND OTHER BEETLES

BOOKS BY J. HENRI FABRE

THE LIFE OF THE SPIDER THE LIFE OF THE FLY THE MASON-BEES BRAMBLE-BEES AND OTHERS THE HUNTING WASPS THE LIFE OF THE CATERPILLAR THE LIFE OF THE GRASSHOPPER THE SACRED BEETLE AND OTHERS THE MASON-WASPS THE GLOW-WORM AND OTHER BEETLES

THE GLOW-WORM AND OTHER BEETLES

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

PAGE
I THE GLOW-WORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

II THE SITARES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

III THE PRIMARY LARVA OF THE SITARES . . . . . . . 46

IV THE PRIMARY LARVA OF THE OIL-BEETLES . . . . . 84

V HYPERMETAMORPHOSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

VI CEROCOMAE, MYLABRES AND ZONITES . . . . . . . . 144

VII THE CAPRICORN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

VIII THE PROBLEM OF THE SIREX . . . . . . . . . . . 207

IX THE DUNG-BEETLES OF THE PAMPAS . . . . . . . . 235

X INSECT COLOURING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

XI THE BURYING-BEETLES: THE BURIAL . . . . . . . . 294

XII THE BURYING-BEETLES: EXPERIMENTS . . . . . . . 319

XIII THE GIANT SCARITES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

XIV THE SIMULATION OF DEATH . . . . . . . . . . . . 370

XV SUICIDE OR HYPNOSIS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

XVI THE CRIOCERES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

XVII THE CRIOCERES (_continued_) . . . . . . . . . . 428

XVIII THE CLYTHRAE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446

XIX THE CLYTHRAE: THE EGG . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

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.