A CARNIVOROUS FUNGUS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 34, 12 February 1901, Page 4

A CARNIVOROUS FUNGUS.

This colony possesses, amonij other natural curiosities, a genus cf oarnivorous fun?-. We (Pod) received yesterday, from Mr. A. YF. Williamsou, Tr.ita, a LirgactiiMou fungus with spreading cenrac'C', like au octopus, and much resembling raw meat in genera! appearance. Add to this an ©verpiweri.-g'y fetid oiour, Bn i we hiVf \ growth this possesses an irre-istihle .ttmction to Wu-- ! Wile-, -h\ b, hj, fnct, r -»«m around it liko a hivu vi he>e. Interesting as *he specimen is to the nitur.iiist, "it is xioi t» be rfcottiiuvnfied c>h nn indoor ornament. Wo accordingly sent it to ■h:»_Museurti r Mr. Williamson having' Jiotifie i that k was comparative rare, this bain:; *aw fit he had fen for many I.-, submitting h to dir Jimen H-Jctnr, w.i if it wss carnivorous. Ha courteously replied as follows : - " The specimen you sent is A-:er«e rubri, a cniiras genns ofi fun»i, the trending arms re;eaib;iiig astaifish. Tber.» sre t*o species in New Z Vacd ; the orber, A hookeri hiving darjk ureen or red si rip.:s on the two, being only one kch high. These fungi ccrUialy catch insects and devour them. I find ;o«r spscimrn devouring a maggot of a blow fly which had incautiously crawled up one of the crimson arms."