on the bodies of Living' Animals. 33 



ces : 1 . That this species of vegetation is not confined to a 

 single species of insect, but obtains in several. S. That the 

 bodies of insects nourish more than one species of vegetable ; 

 and 3. That a part at least of this order of parasitic vegeta- 

 bles begin their work of annoyance " in the body of the living 

 insect, and continue it until the creature is killed by its de- 

 structive inroads." 



With regard to the first two of these conclusions, there 

 seems sufficient ground from recorded observation to grant 

 their probability, if not their absolute certainty. But the 

 third, or that which asserts the growth of parasitic vegetables 

 on the living insect, seems more than doubtful, and not war- 

 ranted by any facts which have come to our knowledge, — not 

 even by the communication of Dr Mitchill itself. 



So long ago as 176B, Dr Watson published in the Philo- 

 sophical Transactions an account of the insect called the ve- 

 getable Fly, brought from the island of Dominica by Mr 

 Newman, an officer in the army, who, adopting the popular 

 belief of the residents in that island, stated that the fly, in 

 the month of May, " buries itself in the earth and begins to 

 vegetate. By the latter end of July," he adds, " the tree is 

 arrived at its full growth, and resembles a coral branch ; and 

 is about three inches high, and bears several little pods, which, 

 dropping off, become worms, and from thence flies like the 

 English caterpillar." A similar account was given to Dr 

 Huxham by Captain Gascoign ; but specimens being pro- 

 cured, they were submitted to the examination of Dr Hill, 

 and the result of his and Dr Watson's observations laid be- 

 fore the Royal Society. Dr Hill found on examination that 

 a particular species of fungus, of the genus Clavaria^ yf\{ic\i 

 grows upon dead and putrid animal bodies, had sprung from 

 the dead insect. " The Cicada is common in Martinique,*^ 

 (says he) " and in its nympha state, in which the old authors 

 call it Tettigometra, it buries itself under dead leaves to wait 

 its change ; and when the season is unfavourable many pe- 

 rish. The seeds of the Clavaria find a proper bed on this 

 dead insect, and grow. The Tettigometra is among the Cicadae 

 in the British Museum ; the clavaria is just now known. 

 This, you may be assured, is the fact, and all the fact ; though 



VOL. VII. NO. I. JULY 1827. C 



