304 FUNGI. 



neavst connecting link between the animal and vegetable 

 kingdoms, the powder consisting of an infinity of sporules. 

 These fungoid sporules possess the peculiar property of 

 being farther developed only by intimate contact with 

 living animal matter (as when swallowed, &c.) ; they then 

 throw out innumerable greenish yellow fibres about 

 twelve or eighteen inches in length. When the • drei ' is 

 administered, usually in some warm drink, these sporules 

 are swallowed, attach themselves to the mucous mem- 

 brane, germinate, throw out millions of these silky fibres, 

 which grow with awful rapidity, first producing symp- 

 toms of hectic fever, then cough, eventually accompanied 

 by incessant spitting of blood, till death finally inevitably 

 supervenes, usually in about a fortnight or three weeks' 

 time. A case of this description came under my notice 

 in Italy, in 1860. Although the patient was attended 

 by eminent physicians, accustomed to deal with cases 

 of slow poisoning, no suspicions of foul play were enter- 

 tained till the day after the decease, when, an autopsy 

 beins held, revealed the cause of death. The fibres, the 

 growth of which had ceased with the cessation of the 

 animal life and heat that had supported them, were 

 already partially decomposed ; had another day or two 

 elapsed no trace would have been left of the foul deed. 

 If the analysis of the mixture in question reveal no dele- 

 terious drug, let a dog or other animal be daily dozed, as 

 the gypsy recommended, with ' three drops ' in some 

 warm vehicle. The result would show whether the 

 brown powder is, or is not, the world-famous and de- 

 s1 ructive ' drei/ r 



A group of minute epiphytes succeeds that of Cordi- 



