Natural History

Feilding Star, Volume X, Issue 105, 12 March 1889, Page 3

Natural History

I Communicated, j Among the most curious production* of New Zealand ih a singular plant, called by the Natives awhato, or bull rush-caterpiller. If nature ever takes revenge, one might imagine this to be a case of retaliation. Caterpillers live upon plants, devouring not only leaves, but bark, fruit, pith, root aud seeds, in short every form of vegetable life is drawn upon by these voracious robbera. But, here comes a little seed which seems to say, " turn about is fair play," and lodges on the wrinkled neik of the cater piller; just at the time when he, satisfied with his thefts in the vegetable kingdom, goes out of sight to change into a chrysalis, and sleep his way into a new dress aud a new life, a vain hope, the seed is master of the situation. It sends forth its tiny green stem, draws its life from the helpless caterpiller, and not only sends up its little shoot with the bullTush stem capped with a tiny rat-tail, but fills with roots the entire body of its victim, changing it into a white vegetable substance, this, however, retains the exact shape of the caterpillar. It is nut like in substance and is eaten by the natives with great relish. So, with the demon strongdrink, sown often in the unconscious infant by the mother — " she must have her glass of beer, or wine, every day to keep up her strength " — and if the baby is uneasy, a little spirits and hot water and sugar is administered to sooth it. And so the seed is sown and the appetite is created, and, as the child grows up, it shows it by liking to drain the glass, or take a sip with papa; so the seed germinates, aud sends forth its tiny shoots which feed on heart, brain, and lungs, until the whole body is only the soil for the demon strong drink to feed upon.