210 Transactions. — Zoology. 



At first sight, one might well be pardoned for considering a 

 " vegetable caterpillar " as a specimen of the " mermaid class," 

 cleverly constructed by some ingenious hand, in the same way 

 as the naturalist Waterton prepared his " nondescripts " for his 

 museum ; but, more closely examined, Nature triumphs, and not 

 only so, but by the variety of ways in which she effects the 

 same end, illustrates anew the axiom that no two things are 

 exactly similar. For a long time I thought that there was but 

 one simple form, all the specimens that came under my notice, 

 either in England or in this colony, being the more or less 

 desiccated caterpillar, bearing on its head a spike a few inches 

 long, covered near the apex with spore capsules. 



A short time since, I visited a part of the bush near 

 Tarawera, on the Napier- Taupo Road, and very carefully 

 searched over a considerable portion of high, bush-covered 

 ranges, near the township, for a rare and interesting plant 

 which I had previously obtained in that locality ; and in the 

 course of my day's ramble, I collected the specimens which I 

 have the honour to lay before you this evening. 



Taking one of the largest of the specimens, we find that the 

 length of the caterpillar is about 2f or 3 inches, and the smallest 

 If - 2 inches. 



The largest caterpillar supported a fungus about 12 inches in 

 length, 2^- inches of this being covered with densely packed 

 spores. The number of specimens collected on this occasion 

 was 16, 10 of which were mature, having the spore capsules 

 fully developed, and six were immature. Three of the cater- 

 pillars were markedly smaller than the remainder, but, as far as 

 could be seen, presented no specific differences. In all of the 

 smaller specimens, however, the frontal shield, or scutellum (if 

 any), was destined by the growth of the fungus. 



Three of the caterpillars bore, what was then quite new to 

 me, two or more spikes. The most remarkable of the three was 

 a caterpillar 2h inches long, bearing a stout fungoid spike, 

 which ascended for 1-| inches, and then bifurcated, each branch 

 being 9 inches in length, both being covered with spores for 

 about 3 inches from the point. The second bore two spikes, 

 each 6 inches long, both arising from the point of junction 

 with the body, and both fertile. The third bore a many- 

 branched spike, having nine points. 



In the large majority of instances, the vegetable growth is 

 seen to have arisen from the centre of the junction of the head 

 and the scutellum, but in others, from either the right or left 

 lobe of the head. In one case it occurs at the side of the first 

 thoracic segment, and quite recently I have received from Major 

 Scannell, of Taupo, a caterpillar bearing a spike at each end of 

 the body ; this being but the second time he has seen such a 

 case occur, out of many hundreds of specimens. 



