72 The Vegetable or Bulrush Caterpillars. 



surpasses all, in killing and taking possession ; making the body of 

 an insect — and that, too, in all probability, during the life- time of the 

 insect— the origin from which the future plant rears its stem, and 

 the source from which it derives its nutriment and support. We, 

 therefore, may look upon this vegetable as one of the most sur- 

 prising links between the animal and vegetable kingdom, yet no- 

 ticed ; and as such it deserves every attention, and as correct a 

 description as our present imperfect acquaintance with it will admit 

 of. The natives call it the Ameto-Hotete. 



The Ameto is only found at the root of one particular tree, the 

 Rata. The female Pohuta Kana, the root of the plant, which in 

 every instance exactly fills the body of the caterpillar, in the finest 

 specimens attains the length of three inches and a half ; and the 

 stem, which germinates from this caterpillar's body, is from six to 

 ten inches high ; its apex, when in a state of fructification, resembles 

 the club-headed bulrush in miniature, and when examined with 

 a powerful glass, presents the appearance of an ovary. There are no 

 leaves ; a solitary stem comprises the entire plant ; and should this 

 stem be, by any accident, broken off, a second stem arises from the same 

 spot, which is one of the peculiarities of this plant, and not known 

 to occur in any other plant with which we are as yet acquainted in 

 the vegetable kingdom. The body is not only always found buried, 

 but the greater portion of the stalk as well, the seed vessel alone 

 being above ground. When the plant has attained its maturity, 

 it soon dies away. When recently dug up, the substance of the 

 caterpillar is soft, and when divided longitudinally, the intestinal 

 canal is very distinctly seen. Most specimens possess the legs en- 

 tire, with the horny part of the head, the mandibles, and claws. 



The vegetating process invariably proceeds from the nape of the 

 neck, from which it may be inferred that the insect, in crawling to 

 the place where it inhumes itself prior to its metemorphosis, and 

 whilst burrowing in the light vegetable soil at the foot of the 

 tree upon which it was previously suspended, gets some of the 

 minute seeds of this fungus between the scales of its neck, from 

 which, in its then sickening state, it is unable to free or disengage 

 itself, and which, consequently, causes it to die ; and thus this seed, 

 being nourished by the warmth and moisture of the insect's body, 





