on the bodies of Living Animals. 31 



J. B. Ricord Maddiana, M. D. who brought it from the Island 

 of Guadaloupe. 



" The same gentleman, distinguished for his researches in 

 different departments of natural science, gave me several ve- 

 getating wasps (vespce) procured by himself in the same place, 

 where he resided several years. A fortunate incident brought 

 very interesting facts to his knowledge at Bay-Mahant, near 

 the small river du Coin. On the 16th June 1823, as he was 

 on a botanizing excursion, he saw, lying on the ground, a 

 wasp''s nest, which had, by means unknown to him, been se- 

 parated from a branch of the Laurus persea, (avocatier,) 

 near which it had fallen. The creatures were in a strange 

 condition after this disaster to their dwelling. Some were flit- 

 ting about over the cells, and by the softness of their wings, 

 and the faintness of their colours, were easily known to have 

 been hatched but a short time. Many others were lying 

 dead on the ground. On examining these he instantly per- 

 ceived vegetables proceeding from their bodies, and this uni- 

 formly from the anterior part of the sternum, or thorax. He 

 collected about fifty of these vegetating wasps. On inspect- 

 ing the nest, he found a considerable proportion of the cells 

 empty. This, however, was not the case with them all ; for 

 there w^re still some that contained young wasps in the state 

 of larvae, and which had not reached the last stage of their 

 metamorphosis. He drew them from their cells, and satisfied 

 himself that there was an incipient vegetation ; and moreover, 

 that its progress had kept pace with the growth of the chrysa- 

 lis. 



" After these observations, he satisfied himself in a very ra- 

 tional way, wherefore the vegetable parasite was situated on 

 the fore part of the body. It was remarked, that rarely or 

 never was there more than one vegetable on a single wasp. 



" Botanists have pronounced this parasitical production to 

 be a species of Sphceria, belonging to the natural order of the 

 Fungi. Upon the supposition that it is propagated by seeds 

 in the cidinary mode, it plainly appears that these seeds 

 would, on being wafted through the air, alight upon the most 

 exposed part of the unhatched insect, that was accommodated 

 for its reception. This would, of course, be near the head. 



