Page:Sea and River-side Rambles in Victoria.djvu/127

108 Even with these opinions before us, we are disinclined to believe that any insects in a healthy state can afford those conditions which are essential to the development of fungoid growths, for as is remarked in Art. "Enterophyta." Nat. Hist. Sect. Engl. Cyclo., "a failure of the ordinary vital powers to carry on the healthy processes of life seem ordinarily to be the inviting cause of such a development of these plants as would constitute a disease," but we conceive that it is only after life is destroyed and decomposition set in that the Sphæria commences to germinate,—our friends however must observe and judge for themselves.

But our ramble has occupied more time than we anticipated, so we will only descend the hill towards the Barwon on our way homewards, gathering as we go some specimens of the remarkable Polygonum junceum or the Crantzia Australasica growing submersed in the water.