Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-26
THE VEGETABLE FLY
SCIENCE HAS THIS INTERESTING
CREATURE TABULATED.
In China the Bug and Branches Are
Sold for Sore Throat
Cures.

Written for The Evening Star.
A few years ago a queer worm was dis
| covered in South America that apparently
| buried itself and became plant, stalk
springing out of its head, while the body
| formed the root. The story seemed 10 rank
with the wonderful tales of the fifteenth
| century in which travellers assured their
| credulous listeners Of a plant in central
| Asia-Thibet, to be eXact-which produced
| small lambs, which calmly proceeded to
| Craze when they fell to the earth from the
| branches. The fifteenth century writers
| did not tell us whether these lambs grew
| on pea vines "r on mint stalks, but, then
medieval science was rarely explicit. Mod
| ern science is more exacting, and when
traveller comes home with story which is
| a little difficult to believe he is required to
| produce evidence. over at the National
Museum the inquirer may be shown plenty
| of evidence in the shape of box full of
queer dried roots, with long stems, and
these roots are in the form of worms, To-
Gusts and other small creatures.
Modern science goes further, however,
and refuses to believe even what it sees. So
when this apparently indisputable evidence
of animal life turned to vegetable was
placed before it science, still skeptical, got
out her microscope and discovered that the
plant that so mysteriouSiy Sprang from the
head of the poor insect was nothing of nat
ural growth from the creature itself, but
a fungus that Slapped the life Of its victim
as it flourished its branches of false pre-
tense in the air.
The seed of the fungus, which is found
the world over, sometimes finds successful
Judgment in about the head of some
worm. 1t does not kill at once, but takes
root and sprouts in shape not unlike
horn, to the great inconvenience of the cat
erpillar. The horn continues to grow and
I the unhappy insect finds itself less able TO
eat. 1t buries itseif-in despair, perhaps
and the rect a veritable Jack the Giant
Killer, waves triumphant over his victim.
The horn grows to the surface and forms
a Dubious seed-pod, which bursts to scatter
further dread and mischief among insect
tribes. The root of the fungus, secure in
the body of it's vtct in fills all the body,
preserving the outlines while absorbing the
poor caterpillar completely. The trans
formed worm is now hard and dry, like a
root, and is genuine curiosity to look at.
Nor are larvae the only forms this fungus
attacks. The museum shows a common
black wasp mud dauber-which has the
fatal stems growing from his head, and
seventeen-ypar locust is also among the
contents pfthis box of insect tragedies
Cordycops, CT torrubia, to give this pirate
| his scientifc NAME is found in his largest
size in New Zealand and China, besides
South America. although he is known in all
countries and has relatives in the United
States. The Agricultural DEPARTING Mt some
years ago uied TO. make him and his eX-
tensive family Of cousin-fungi large and
small. useful by setting them TO destroying
insects injurious 10 crops, but the attempt
failed. Cordyceps refuses to be of service
to society; he is FIRE ebooter and goes only
where he will
In China cordyeeps chinensis is dug up
body, branches and all, tied in bunches with
red thread and sold as a cure for throat dis
eases But the Chinese will use anything
on earth as medicine, insects espe C. ally. and
TO them every man who searches for en-