The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-08-01
4 Carnirorlons Plant.

The pretty little plant called droscra,
or sundew, says the Providence Journal
develops some strange animal instincts
1t IS a charming plant, with its Lovely
pink blossoms, while the dew like sub
stance issuing from its glands gives it a
most cool and refreshing appearance on
a rm-summer's day. Bat though 1t
looks tie very picture of innocence and
gentleness, it has q strange TASTE for
seizing killing and sucking the blood of
insects, and for grasping and eating raw
beef. A lady in the American Natural
list gives some very curious observations
upon this remarkable plant. She found
the specimens upon which she expert
mented in New Jersey. The plant was
in full bloom, and growing very thickly
on either side of an extensive cranberry
plantation. The first experiment was
made with the best-known species, the
droseru flit0rHliS. Some living files
were pinned half an inch from the apex,
about ten o'clock in the morning. In
forty minutes the leaves had bent per
ceptibly toward the flies, In two hours
the leaves had reached the flies, and
their leaves were entapgied among the
bristlos an Il hold fast- The dies 'Fc4o
then removed three quarters Of an inch
further from the leaves. The leaves still
remained bent toward the flies, but
could not reach them at this distance.
The observer thinks that the flies wings
may have created sufficient force to
bring the leaves near enough to entan-
ole the flies, for dead flies failed to pro-
duce the same result as living ones. On
the same day, bits of raw beef We're
placed on some of the most vigorous
leaves OF another species of the plant,
the llrOserd LoRgifOIja. In two hours,
two of the leaves had folded around the
beef, hiding it from sight. Living flies
were also placed upon the same species
of the plant. In a little more than an
hour, one of the leaves had folded en-
tirely around its victim, the other
leaves had practically folded and the
flies had ceased to struggle. Two hours
later. four leaves had each folded
| around a fy. The drOSerd manifests a
very decided choice IN regard to its gus
tatory fancies. EXPERIMENTS were made
with bits of dried chalk, magnesia and
| pebbles, but the plant would have
| nothing to do with them, and after
twenty-four hours, neither leaves nor
| brietles had made the slightest move
ment toward clasping these articles. A
similar result was produced upon the
droSeru rotl0ldi folid. This variety has
/ longer Dr1StleS around InS SdBe OF lue
| leaf, and simply curls its bristles around
its victims, the gland on the ends of
ends of the bIistles touching the sub
stance, like so many mouths receiving
nourishment. Some bits of raw beef
were placed upon the leaves about ten
o'clock In the morning. In two hours
| the inner bristles were curving about it,
and the longer brist ties at the edge OF
| the.leaf were curving upward. At nine
o'clock in the evening the bristles OF
the three most vigorous leaves Were
clasping the beef, almost concealipg ii
from sight. Nor is this ferocious plant
contented with small insects. Flies OF
the largest size, moths without number,
and butterflies, many of them measur-
ing two inches across, were held captive
till they died, the treacherous flowers
and shining dew Turing them to des-
truction. The larger insects, after
death, fell around the roots of the
plants rs if to fertilize them, while tho
smaller flies remained adhering to tbs
leaves. These curiousssplants thus seen
to manifest a decided preference r.
meat diet, absorbing the animal sub
stances through their leaves. Mr.. Oar
win says that by pricking point in the
leaf of droserG, he can paralyze half OF
it, and this indicates the existence Of
| nerves.