FOUND GROWING IN LIVING ANIMALS. 287 



On some occasions, it would appear, that the so called fungi observed on 

 insects are, in point of fact, constituted of the stolen parts of flowers or plants. 

 Thus BROWN' has determined apparent fungi on certain bees, to be composed of 

 the stamina of orchidise, and detected the stamen of aristolochia in a beetle shewn 

 to him by Mr M'LAY. SCHLECHTENDAHL and SiEBOLD 2 have recognised an appa- 

 rent fungus formation on Eucera Druriella, Zygcena lonicer<e, Leptura ruftpes and 

 pubescens, to be the attached pollen of orchidise. BUSK' also observed confervse 

 on the body of a Dytiscus marginalis, which had been apparently derived from 

 similar growths infesting some plants of Valimeria spiralis, contained in the glass 

 vessel in which it was kept. 



The disease in silk- worms, named Muscardine, which causes so great a mor- 

 tality amongst these animals, is characterized by the appearance after death of a 

 white eruption on the body of the animal, which eruption M. BASSI of Lodi 4 shewed 

 to consist of numerous cryptogamic plants. These have received the name of 

 Botrytis Bassiana. This fact has been confirmed by ARDOUIN, S JOHANNYS," CRE- 

 vELLi, 7 BONNAFOUS," and TuRPiN, 9 whose farther researches, experiments, and 

 observations, have established its contagious nature, not only amongst silk- worms, 

 but amongst insects generally. 



Fishes. In VALENTIN'S Repertorium, it is stated, that EHRENBERG has found 

 Chcetophora (Tremella) meteorica growing on the scales of the Salmo eperlanus. 10 

 Beyond this notice, however, I know nothing of the observations alluded to. 

 VALENTIN remarks, that mouldiness, or colourless confervse, occurring on the ova 

 of fishes, constitutes a very powerful preventive to then- development, and its 

 progress is so rapid, that a single egg infected with it will in a very short time 

 infest many hundreds, and thus destroy them. In the Cyprinus nasus also, when 

 kept in narrow vessels, and the water not quite sweet, he observed the same fun- 

 gus on all parts which might be abraded, as, for instance, the head and tail. 



Mr J. T. COOPER has informed the Editor of the Microscopic Journal that he 

 has frequently removed from the gills of gold-fish, kept in a cistern in his garden, 

 a quantity of confervse, the rapid growth of which over the whole surface of then- 

 bodies in every instance caused death." 



Reptiles. VALENTIN 12 has seen colourless confervee growing on the ova of 



I KIRBY and SPENCE, Entomology, vol. iv. p. 208. 2 Frorieps Notizen, No. 224-73. 



3 Microscopic Journal, vol. i. p. 149. 



4 Del Mai. del Segno calcinaccio o Muscardino, sec. ed. Milano, 1837. 



5 Annales des Sciences Nat. vol. viii. p. 229, 1837. 6 Idem, vol. ii. p. 81, 1839. 



7 Linnsea, herausgegeben von Schlechtendahl, Halle, 8. 118-23. 



8 L'Institut, torn. vii. p. 154. 9 Idem, torn. vii. pp. 199-200. 

 10 Vol. 5. p. 44. See also Frorieps Notizen, No. 218, 314. 



II Microscopic Journ. vol. i. p. 149. J2 Report, vol. v. p. 44. 



