u to see it until the morning. Stay here to-night,
and I will send Jup down for it at sunrise. It is the loveliest thing in
creation!"

"What--sunrise?"

"Nonsense! no! the bug. It is of a brilliant gold color, about the size
of a large hickory nut, with two jet black spots near one extremity of
the back, another, somewhat longer, at the other. The _antennae_ are"--

"Dey ain't _no_ tin in him, Massa Will, I keep a-telling on you," here
interrupted Jupiter; "de bug is a goole-bug, solid, ebery bit of him,
inside and all, sep him wing--neber feel half so hebby a bug in my
life."

"Well, suppose it is, Jup," replied Legrand, somewhat more earnestly, it
seemed to me, than the case demanded, "is that any reason for you
letting the birds burn? The color"--here he turned to me--"is really
almost enough to warrant Jupiter's idea. You never saw a more brilliant
metallic lustre than the scales emit; but of this you cannot judge till
to-morrow. In the meantime I can give you some idea of the shape."
Saying this, he seated himself at a small table on which were a pen and
ink, but no paper. He looked for some in a drawer, but found none.

"Never mind," said he at length, "this will answer;" and he drew from
his waistcoat pocket a scrap of what I took to be very dirty foolscap,
and made upon it a rough drawing with the pen. While he did this, I
retained my seat by the fire, for I was still chilly. When the design
was complete he handed it to me without rising. As I received it, a loud
growl was heard, succeeded by a scratching at the door. Jupiter opened
it, and a large Newfoundland, belonging to Legrand, rushed in, leaped
upon my shoulders and loaded me with caresses; for I had shown him much
attention during previous visits. When his gambols were over, I looked
at the paper, and, to speak the truth, found myself not a little puzzled
at what my friend had depicted.

"Well!" I said, after contemplating it for some minutes, "this _is_ a
strange _scarabaeus_, I must confess; new to me; never saw anything like
it before--unless it was a skull, or a death's-head--which it more
nearly resembles than anything else that has come under _my_
observation."

"A death's-head!" echoed Legrand. "Oh--yes--well, it has something of
that appearance upon paper, no doubt. The two upper black spots look
like eyes, eh? and the longer one at the bottom like a mouth--and then
the shape of the whole is oval."

"Perhaps so," said I; "but, Legrand,