1899^ Nature of the Animal 



legend: : 'Ninfa de cicada (chicharra) atacada de 

 un hongo, Cordyceps sobolifera Berk." The ac- 

 companying card read: 'With the best compli- 

 ments of Porfirio Diaz, Jan. 18, 1899." 



According to Dr. J. I. W. 

 McMurphy, the fungologist of 

 Stanford, Cordyceps - - like C lav- 

 ice ps, the ergot of rye - - be- 

 longs to the family of Hypo- 

 creacece. Mr. Atkinson's sketch 

 of the specimen received will 

 give my readers an accurate 

 idea of the unique tragedy of 

 the animal which turns plant. 



Eleven years after, at the Uni- 

 versity of Cambridge, my col- 

 league, Dr. Hans Gadow, then 

 lately returned from a collect- 

 ing expedition in Mexico, related 

 to me an interesting conversa- 

 tion he had had with the Presi- 

 dent at the Palace. Did the 

 Professor know the planta ani- 

 mal of the state of Oaxaca? 

 The professor did not. A secre- 

 tary was accordingly sent over 

 to the Museo Nacional to get a 

 specimen for inspection. This 

 incident lends a clue to Diaz' 

 general popularity, partly due, 

 no doubt, to his careful selection in advance of 

 appropriate subjects for conversation! 



La planta animal 

 (about f natural size). 

 Drawn by W. S. Atkinson. 



In the course of our stay in Mexico, my good 



C 645 3 



