PARASITICAL GROWTHS ON LIVING ANIMALS. 149 



whitish excavation, whilst the borders remain of a yellowish colour. 

 Simultaneously with the enlargement of the opening, the Mycodermata 

 protrude, and are developed like a fungus, and finally the borders dis- 

 appear ; the stems of the Mycodermata are prolonged, and the sporules 

 shoot out vigorously, more in the centre than at the periphery. From 

 this mode of growth, the form of the crust becomes quite altered, it 

 being, when completely developed, convex, instead of concave on the 

 outer surface. 



M. Gruby practised inoculation with the contents of these crusts upon 

 thirty Phanerogamous plants (but succeeded only once) ; on twenty-four 

 silk-worms ; four birds ; eight mammals ; and six reptiles, without any 

 result. Similar inoculation in the arm of himself four times, and of 

 another individual once, was followed also by no result, except in one 

 instance, when a little inflammation ensued. Consequently, out of 

 seventy-seven inoculations, one successful result only was obtained, 

 and that on a Phanerogamous plant ; a strange fact, as is truly ob- 

 served by M. Gruby. 



At pages 24 and 1 39 of this Journal will be found notices of various 

 other observations of parasitical growths on animal bodies ; but these 

 my limits will not allow me farther to detail. In the present number, 

 (p. 155) also, is an account of similar vegetation on the ova of fishes, 

 to which it proves highly destructive. 



On the 1st of March 1841, Mr. Westwood exhibited at the Entomo- 

 logical Society, dried specimens of Chinese larvae, from the back of the neck 

 of each of which a slender Fungus, twice as large as the body of the insect, 

 had been produced. The vegetation was stated to be analogous to 

 some on larvae from New Zealand, and is named Clavaria Entomorhiza* 

 M. Corda gives the figure of a Coleopterous insect f covered with 

 Penidllium Fieberi ; and a similar instance of the growth of a minute 

 Conferva upon the body of a Dytiscus marginalis, occurred a short time 

 since to my observation. This insect was kept in a glass vessel, in 

 which were growing some plants of Valisneria spiralis, the leaves of 

 which were much infested with the Conferva. The beetle was killed, 

 apparently by the growth of the Conferva among the branched hairs, 

 with which its spiracula are furnished internally. \ (PI. I. Fig. 1.) 



* Annals of Natural History for November 1841. 



f Pentatoma prasina, Op. cit. PI. xi. 



I [We are informed by Mr. J. T. Cooper, that he has frequently removed from the 

 gills of gold fish, kept in a cistern in his garden, a quantity of Confervas, the rapid 

 growth of which over the whole surface of their bodies, in every instance caused 

 death. Editor.'] 



