Dung Beetle

“A black insect, with brilliant metallic blue or purple reflections on the under side, and well known as “wheeling its drowsy flight” during fine evenings. This it does in search of a patch of cow-dung, through which it makes its way until reaching the ground, where it bores a perpendicular tunnel about 8 inches deep, and as wide as a man’s finger; then ascending to the surface it conveys a quantity of dung to the bottom, and on this it proceeds to deposit an egg; another layer of the same material and another egg follow until the entire shaft is filled.” — Encyclopedia Britanica, 1893

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