_Curious Fact in Natural History._--There is in the Brazils a popular
superstition to this effect. There is a tree called Japecarga, which is
said to grow out of the body of the insect called Cigara. This is a very
large tree, and the Cigara is an insect which makes an incessant chirping
on the tree, and, as the saying goes, chirps till it bursts. When the
insect dies, the tree is said to grow out of it, the roots growing down the
legs. My explanation is this: The insect feeds on the seeds of the
Japecarga, and occasionally, under advantageous circumstances, some of the
seeds germinate, and cause the death of the insect, the tree shooting up
through the softest part, the back, and the rootlets making their way down
the only outlets, the legs. I wish to know whether any similar fact in
Natural History has been noticed, and if not, how is it accounted for,
since I can vouch for the skin of the insect having been found with the
tree growing out of its back, and the roots growing down through the legs.