79 
with termites, which however immediately retired through a 
vertical canal into the depths of their abode. 
Once I found a small scolopender in an emptied ovarian 
cavity, but I suppose it to have been au occasional visitor only, 
whereas it is my opinion, that termites will regular empty any 
Rafflesia ovary to which they have been given access through 
its walls having been perforated or damaged through external 
or internal forces. On the other hand I do not believe, that 
termites will ever attack soundly developing buds or immature 
fruits, I have never seen any sign of that, and if they did 
really do so, all specimens of the plants would soon be destroyed. 
I suppose, then, that termites exercise the function of bringing 
the Raflesia seeds into the earth, and there is nothing amazing 
in it, if in doing so they will bring them into close contact 
with the vine roots or even directly into their tissues. 
Along these lines we can imagine new vines in the neigh- 
bourhood becoming infected with Ragflesia; but how are we to 
explain the formation of new growing places very far from 
older ones ? | 
A possible explanation we might find in the activity of dig- 
ging, or termite or ant-eating animals, which occasionally could 
travel rather far and on their feet or in their bowels carry the 
seeds along and deposit them on new places. We might think 
of wild pigs, pangolins and mice. 
DEVELOPMENT OF BUDS. 
The first stage observable with the naked eye appears as a 
flat prominence upon the circumference of the vine root. On a 
section across the root no trace of an implanted seed can be 
found, but the broad and flat form of the tumour suggests, that 
the centra of proliferation is not situated near the surface but 
in the more central parts of the root. 
When the bud has reached the size of 1 eM. across, it has 
assumed the form of a small ball, connected with its host through 
@ column, but it is still completely covered by a thick layer of 
tissue of quite the same character as that of the root. 
