506 
FOURTH BULLETIN OF 
[ 1846 . 
THE HOTTE, OF NEW ZEALAND.* 
The following is an extract from a letter of the Rev. John G. 
Morris, D. D., of Baltimore, on the subject of a very remarkable 
insect or larva : 
“This animal, it is said, travels up both the rata and perriri trees, and entering 
into the top, eats its way, perforating the trunk of the tree, until it reaches the 
root. It then conies out of the root and dies, or lies dormant, and the plant pro¬ 
pagates out of its head ; the body remains perfect and entire, of a harder substance 
than when alive. From this insect the natives of New Zealand make a coloring 
for tattooing.” 
The following are the remarks of Dr. Morris upon the subject, 
which probably contain the true account of the habits of this re¬ 
markable insect, and all that is at present known in regard to it. 
He says: 
“This animal feeds upon the sweet potato, (convolvulus hatatus ,) and is often 
found, when dead , with a parasitic plant ( Sphceria Robertsi.) growing out of its 
head. You will see a figure of the larva and the plant in Hooker’s leones Plan - 
tarum, vol. 1, tab. 2, where the plant is more specifically described. Hooker 
says ‘the plant is not uncommon in New Zealand, always growing on the dead 
larva of a caterpillar.’ The question is, why is the seed deposited always on the 
head ? Does the plant begin to grow before the animal dies, and does its growth 
kill the larva; or is it only after death that it forms an animal soil for the produc¬ 
tion of this extraordinary parasite ? The account of the habits of this insect which 
you have received, and caused to be exhibited with the specimens in your collec¬ 
tion, is altogether fabulous, 
“ I should have stated before that it is the caterpillar of a butterfly that is subject 
to this strange capital accompaniment. The butterfly is unknown to me, and until 
some intelligent entomologist visits that country, and makes proper observations, 
we must be content with the imperfect, knowledge we have. In one of my works 
I have a figure of a small plant growing out of the body of a perfect fly, ( musca 
vegetans ,) said to occur in Havana, but the story is not authentic, and is open to 
doubt. I regret that my investigations have not led to a more satisfactory result.” 
The following letter from Consul Williams, on the same subject, 
has lately been received : 
Auckland, New Zealand, October 30, 1845. 
Dear Sir : Having on a former occasion sent you a concise account of the 
Hotte, I now take great pleasure in herewith enclosing a number of the Hotte, 
bulrush caterpillar. This singular plant, which is a native of New Zealand, may 
be classed among the most remarkable productions of the vegetable kingdom, 
making the body of an insect-—and that too, very probably, a living one—the foun¬ 
dation from which it bears its stem, and the source from which it derives its sup¬ 
port. It certainly forms one of the most surprising links between the animal and 
vegetable kingdom yet noticed, and as such, merits as circumstantial a description 
as the personal imperfect acquaintance with it will allow. It is only found at the 
foot of a particular tree, the “rata,” the female pohutakawa, which, in every 
instance, exactly fills the body of the caterpillar, in the finest specimens attains a 
length of three inches and a half; and the stem which germinates from this meta¬ 
morphosed body of the caterpillar is from six to ten inches high; its apex fructifi¬ 
cation resembles the club-headed bulrush in miniature, and when examined with a 
powerful glass, presents a wonderful appearance. There are no leaves—a solitary 
stom comprises the whole plant. If broken off, a second stem arises from the same 
spot. The body is not only always found buried, but the greater portion of the 
stalk as well, the seed vessel alone being above ground ; and when the plant 
has attained its maturity it soon dies away. These curious plants are far from 
being uncommon in this country; the natives eat them when fresh, and likewise 
* See pp. 483, 493, 
