, 1874-08-15
SPARKS OF SCIENCE.


NNATroAL rtANTs.
The vcgotablok,ngdom Is tho Dionua r1nsct-
pain, or Venus Ilf-trap. 1t IA found in but
Bing1o, ltmitod healthy III all tho broad oartht
viz: III tho low, sa,dy savannallB In tho vicnity
Of Wilmington, n. 9. 1tls not worry imposing
affair." -i'oursl,t,g spoofmona attaining height
not exceeding q 0or inchoB. Tho tlnwor fB OF no
especial intoroa being email and borne In u
thin clnstor Oh s.onaer acnpo.-that H., stom
gpsinglug directly from tho root. The leaves
are the strange ioaturo OF tho plnnt. Each ono
Of thcbo is tipp1d with an appondago Bhapsd
like tho open oovors Of book with tho
coyors ROUNDED and tho edges fringed
with stiff brstlB or spires. III this appoudago
iea tho wonder Of tho Dionna. Touch
nty part OF 1t with tho lighsoBt. swiitost Htroko,
aud like las1 the two halves Of tho trap will
spring together aud iuerlaco their brisllo1 edges
in d senacious chsp. The writer eaw the o1peri-
mont tried ropestedy on como yigorouB plants
which are tho pado of tho conservatory Of DR..
AHa Grey, In Cambridge, and tile delight Of their
owners heart. It required extreme colerity OF
movement Oh tho part Of tho oxperimentor to
avoid hnving Tho bit OF atick With which 10
touch 1, t, tic aurfasa Of tho trap caught iii Its
Lot an insect alI!glht on this trap, and it's doom
lrstanta'sonuB hna unexpected that, In every
case. almost without exception, tho insect il
niay, it ia incloaod within tho walls Of living
tomb. Which will mover opon until its body il
literally consumed Immediately upon oloslng
on . papitatinE victim, tho sides Of tho trap,
Which w!asa gro ~ hFst eonssys begin 70 atSn and
Lave stranglcd or oruslied 1t. Then ,nucilagi-
nous fluid in dlsohalgcl from the porcB Of tho
trap, wllicl. cnvoloping tho insect, act upon it
hko gastric gastric juice, a1aoying aud reducing 1t to
Insect is absorbed by Tho Leaf, and tho phenom-
cnon Ia demonstrated OF q vegetable fattoniug
upon animal food blany leaves Hoom to bo
gorge1 with single meal, romaluing Inactive
thereafter, and gradually dying away. Otlors,
Rcatlve powers. will CAPTURE a second, and oven
third iusect, and leayo only q tiny lunch Of ro-
fuso to tell Of their glionliBh feasts
When the traps c1oso upon nothinB,-tl,at is,
whom thoy tlsonlaclyesaro tho victims Of ctoAt,
and spring together from che irritation purpoHc!y
produced by q skillful cxporimenrer, they do
not usually open under twolty-four Aou,s.
Probably 1t rcluiros tint length OF time for
them to recover from thoir aul prise and dsni,-
pontlnent. aud from tho exhaustion Of thsir
insect, thor dools continue locked for = woek,
during which period tho process Of digestion aud
ABSORPTION ii boing performed. Mr. Darwin
las boon for Bolno tlmo engaged In \ RorioB Of
DOnlEl, Will lllu6t lJItUEEAtiIH lpSullH Ell No
may know from his remarkably minute and
patient melhuda OF observation. uo has proved
that tho tlusd eccrctc1 by tho ElnlldB iu tho two
lobcs Of tho trnp is almost precisely similar In
composition and in action to tho gastric juice
Bccroted In tho human stomach. Tho PROCESS
Of digestion is o1nctly tic aanlo, tho nibuninons
constituents Of tho booH Of animals being dis
solved III both cases lilo Dioluph will conB,.mo
bits OF meat laid iu its traps. as well as insoots
Dy prick with aEnrp lancet ut q cortain
ono-llalf OF tho leaf-trap 10 that 1t remained
tnotiolIloaa utdor The stimNlus to which tho other
responded. THUS VIC discover how oxluiBitelY
sensitive ia tho nervous organization Of this
atrango little plant. MIR. Canhy, who visited
pose of studying Tic habitB OF the Diontna, ro-
lates that ho inflicted fatal dyspepsia upon uno
OF bis snbiocls by feeding 1t with clloese. Un-
dor hlr, Darwin'e treatment, another unhappy
victim VA 'nnsio to sufor from l'ararlcsta. Dr.
tho Dlouma, stated, at tho last mocting Of tbs
Brit,eh Association for tho Advancement Of
Science, tint tho Aams electrical curl u,ltA n1o Do
velopod upou the closing Of the Donma-trap ~ III
tho contraction Of nluacla.
Tho Drosora. or snnlew,-a genus Of plants
helouging to tbs same family M the Dronma ttho
DroseEaeep1,-tnanltcata kindrol tlssh-satine
comlnon.--two OF thom-tl,o RoGuWlifoiia aud
tho Lon9itolia-erowing in tho vet, boggy placca
Station, nhot rido from Chicago. Tl,oae pla,,ts
are so insignificant iu size and ASPECT, no oyos
bnt those OF q botaniss would eyor notice ttlom,
aud no one would dream OF asor'bing to them
my peculiar properties. As in the Dion,pa, tho
lcavca aro tlo contto OF intoleat, ths flowers
Of tho Hotu'Hlifolia aro nvbicuar and tho largest
about tho aize Of lady's lttlo.nngcr.nal 4; the
leaves of tho Longifolia ata spotulato-
oblong and OF similar Dimensions. Tho
1r,4u ~f H. ...nt.