STRAIGHT- WINGED INSECTS, 155 



an animated insect often changes itself into a lifeless 

 plant, by putting its feet into the ground aud allowing 

 them to take root, when they actually become the 

 stems of a foliated plant. That leaves are sometimes 

 changed into insects with a distinct head, throat ab- 

 domen and legs. No one, he says, can doubt these 

 facts, as there are in Brazil thousands of witnesses 

 who are ready to prove that they have often observed 

 these phenomena. 



Some months ago there appeared an article in seve- 

 ral of our newspapers under the title of " Vegetable 

 Insects," in which it is stated on good authority that 

 there is found in Australia a caterpiller which is met- 

 amorphosed into a plant. 



On closely examining the phenomena, it is found 

 that the caterpillers of a certain Hawk Moth, in that 

 country, dwell and feed upon the leaves of a certain 

 tree, and that when descending to the ground for the 

 purpose of constructing their coccoons, there actually 

 grows out of the body of almost every one of them a 

 vegetating plant, after which the caterpiller becomes 

 dry and hard, and assumes the appearance of cork. — 

 Now, I suppose this singular phenomenon may be strict- 

 ly true, and in order to its explanation, it is necessary 

 to know that fungi, mushrooms, and other vegetable 

 productions of this tribe, have extremely fine, small 

 seeds, which are dispersed in the air by the most sub- 



