4 I2 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[Oct. 19, i? 



once — to die upon a slip of glass- that can be placed 

 under the microscope, he will see that its body and the 

 glass around is covered with the fungus, which has, in 

 fact, fed upon the fly and destroyed it as decidedly as a 

 spider might have done, though more gradually, and 

 without any conspicuous mark of violence. If this fungus 

 be applied to the body of other flies, especially near the 

 spiracles, the latter become infected, and perish in like 

 manner. 



Attempts which we made some years back to impart this 

 disease to blow-flies, gnats, and to the blood-sucking 

 Slomoxys calcilrans, did not prove successful. But there 

 are cases of other plants taking root in or upon living 

 animals with a fatal result. 



A certain species of wasp is said to be occasionally 

 thus attacked. The botanical journal Flora reports that 

 the fungus Torrubia cinerea has been found growing upon 

 a mature Carabeus. 



Count d'Ursel, in a recently-published work on South 

 America, asserts that in Bolivia, Peru, Chili, La Plata, and 

 Brazil he has met with an insect which, after its death, is 

 " transformed " into a plant. He describes and figures 

 this creature as a " thick, hard grub, with distinct articu- 

 lations." When about to die it buries itself a couple of 

 inches in the earth, and then gradually increases in bulk 

 until it presents an appearance very like that of a potato. 

 A stem is then put forth, which in the spring months 

 bears a crop of blue flowers. We do not accuse the 

 Count of dealing in romance, but we suspect that he 

 has misunderstood the phenomena which he has wit- 

 nessed. 



A somewhat similar case is that of the so-called " Bull- 

 rush caterpillar" (Cordyceps Robertsii) of New Zealand. A 

 specimen of this insect and of the plant which issues 

 from its remains has been lent to us, and is shown in the 

 accompanying figure. 



The plant, which is called by the Maories " Awheto," 

 and which is by no means rare, grows chiefly at the root 

 of the " rata " (Metrosideres robusta). The body of the 

 caterpillar, which is found underground, is in some in- 

 stances as much as 3^ inches in length. The one which 

 has been submitted to us is of a brownish colour, hard 

 to the touch, and of a shrivelled appearance, like that of 

 a caterpillar which has perished from want of food, or 

 which, though fully fed, is unable to effect its trans- 

 formation into a pupa. The horny portions of the head, 

 the jaws, and some of the feet can be distinctly iden- 

 tified. From the nape of the neck — speaking in non- 

 technical language — proceeds a stalk which may reach 

 the length of six inches. At its summit is a fructification 

 resembling the " club-headed bull-rush " on a reduced 

 scale. There are no leaves, and if the stem be accidentally 

 broken off, a second stem shoots up at its side. The 

 natives eat the plant, which when fresh has, they say, the 

 flavour of a nut. It is also burnt, and in that state is 

 used as a colouring-matter in the tattooing process. 



We are far from considering this ill-named phenomenon 

 as a link between the animal and the ve^^table kingdoms, 

 or as the transformation of a caterpillar into a plant. The 

 facts as described to us must be interpreted as follows : 

 the caterpillar, burrowing in the soil to undergo there its 

 transformation into a chrysalis — as do many species — 

 encounters some of the spores of a fungus. One of these 

 takes root in its body at a part which the caterpillar, 

 even if lively, cannot reach to free itself from the in- 

 truder ; it there nourishes itself on the juices of the body, 

 which perishes as It vegetates. Whether the same 



fungus attacks any other kind of caterpillar is a question 

 not yet decided. 



The fungus in question is said to be nearly related to 

 the "ergot," which is parasitic upon rye and sometimes 

 upon other kinds of grain. 



Ants and Butterflies. — In the last number of the 

 journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, Mr. 

 Lionel de Niceville describes the manner in which the 

 larvae of a species of butterfly (Tarucus thcophrastus, 

 Fabricius) are cultivated and protected by the large 

 common black ants of Indian gardens and houses. As a 

 rule, ants are the most deadly and inveterate enemies of 

 butterflies, and ruthlessly destroy and eat them when- 

 ever they get the chance, but in the present case the larvae 

 exude a sweet liquid of some sort, of which the ants are 

 inordinately fond, and which they obtain by stroking the 

 larvae gently with their antennae. Hence the great care 

 which is taken of them. The larvae feed on a small 

 thorny bush of the jungle, the Zizyphiisjujuba, and at the 

 foot of this the ants construct a temporary nest. About 

 the middle of June, just before the rains set in, great 

 activity is observable on the tree. The ants are busy all 

 day running along the branches and leaves in search of 

 the larvae, and guiding and driving them down the stem 

 of the tree towards the nest. Each prisoner is guarded 

 until he is got safely into his place, when he falls off into 

 a doze and undergoes his transformation into a pupa. If 

 the loose earth at the foot of the tree is scraped away 

 hundreds of larvae and pupae in all stages of development, 

 arranged in a broad, even band all round the t r unk, will 

 be seen. The ants object to uncovering them, and im- 

 mediately set to work to put the earth back again ; if 

 this is taken away again, they will remove all the 

 chrysalids and bury them lower down. When the 

 butterfly is ready to emerge in about a week it is 

 tenderly assisted to disengage itself from its shell, and, 

 should it be strong and healthy, is left undisturbed to 

 spread its wings and fly away. For some time after . 

 they have gained strength they remain hovering over 

 their old home. In one case a butterfly fell to the ground 

 before its opening wings had dried, and a soldier-ant 

 tried to rescue it. He carried it back to the tree with 

 the utmost care, and made several' attempts to assist the 

 butterfly to hold on again, but finding his efforts un- 

 availing he left the cripple to recover himself. On his 

 return, seeing no improvement, he appeared to lose all 

 patience, and, rushing in, bit off both wings and carried 

 the body into the nest. But high-handed proceedings of 

 this kind are very unusual. It is said to be a curious 

 sight to watch the fragile and delicate butterflies wander- 

 ing about, all feeble and helpless, among the busy crowd 

 of coarse black ants, and rubbing shoulders in perfect 

 safety with the ordinary fierce, big-headed soldiers. A 

 larva of another species thrown down among them as an 

 experiment was immediately set upon and torn to pieces 

 by the ants. 



Intelligence of a Cat. — M. G. Vayssie de Veragne 

 gives, in La Nature, the following curious incident, re- 

 ferring for confirmatory evidence to M. Palmaroli, 

 Director of the Acadenry of the Fine Arts at Rome. 

 An old convent on the Janiculum is covered with convex 

 tiles, which advance to the edge of the roof, and project 

 over. This arrangement is favourable for the construc- 

 tion of nests, and accordingly a flock of pigeons have 

 established themselves there. One day a stray, half- 



