FUNGUS AND CATERPILLARS 



about two to three inches long sticking out of short grass. 

 If one carefully pulls this up it is found to be growing out 

 of a dead chrysalis or grub. It is a fungus whose spores 

 have attacked the caterpillar ; they have developed inside its 

 body, and eventually, having completely eaten up the insect, 

 form the red club, which is producing hundreds of thousands 

 of spores intended to attack other caterpillars. 



The branches like stag's horns are the fruit of a fungus, Cordyceps Taylori, 

 which lived inside and killed the caterpillar. 



An allied fungus forms a peculiar branched fruit rather 

 like a minute stag's horn, and the caterpillar may be seen 

 for some time crawling about with this extraordinary fungus 

 sticking out of its head. Of course the bacteria are, some 

 of them, by far the most dangerous foes of animals (see 

 page 328). 



Then there is a small Liverwort, a little red, moss-like 

 plant (Frullania tamarisci), which may be found growing on 

 the bark of trees, which is said to catch animalcula in the 

 small sack-like leaves which are underneath the ordinary 

 ones. 



341 



