The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-09-05
OARNIVOROUS PLANTS.

Modern science is every day bearing wit.
ness to the truth of Hamlet's remark to Hora.
ito as to the number of things in heaven and
earth uudreamed of in our philosophy. In
1868, Ellis, an English naturalist, sent to
Linnaus the description Of plant he had
procured from Philadelphia, and to which he
had given the pretty name Of dionea, but
which is better known as the "Venus's fly
trap" Ellis observed that nature had pro-
vided this plant with an apparatus for catch
ing the insects that were attracted by a pecu
liar secretion of its leaves As soon as the fy
or beetle touched one of them it was at once
made prisoner by the contraction of the two
lobes, and fairly entangled in their hairs or
tentacles.
Linnaus did not agree with Mr.. Ellis as
to the cause of this phenomena. In his view
it was simply intended to protect the
plant against the insects One century
later however, the illustrious Darwin, while
examining the leaves of the common sun-dew
or drosera, came to the conclusion that this
plant was of a carnivorous nature-that it
literally fed on the insects caught by it. On
one of the leaves he saw the remains of thir-
teen distinct insects, one Of them butterfly,
and was subsequently informed Of the capture
OF large living dragon-fy, who was firmly
held BY two leaves. ...-
The manner in which this curious opera
ton is performed is as follows The leaves
0f tho enn daw ro ooyarad ~, bo;, ran..
face with gland bearing filaments, each gland
giving out sweet, viscid fluid of purple
color. If small object is placed on the
glands in the center of the leaf, the marginal
hlaments or tentacles slowly bend toward the
center-a contractile motion which COM
mences with the nearest ones, but, finally, to
all, until they all become closely infected
over the object. If it be an insect, or piece
Of meat, as soon as these tentacles have closed
over it, their glands pour forth an increased
secretion, which soon becomes acid and
which seems to possess the analogous proper
ties to the gastric juice of animals. An insect
will be killed in about fifteen minutes, its
respiratory organs being closed by the ecre
1890 = eAA0 RAoAe' AAAA' DdIWlu plh ecu buHlE
bits Of roast meat on five leaves, and, af ter
Forty.eight hours, the meat on one leaf was
reduced to minute, central sphere, partially
iigested, and, placing the whole under
he ascertained the similarity of
he process of digestion by gastric juice to
hat by the fluid secreted by the drosera.
The manner in which insects are caught by
he dionea differs from that Of the drosera
As soon as filament of the tier is touched
he two lobes of the leaf closes at once, the |
eaf is completely shut and incloses shallow
'avity, and if any large insect has thus been
'aught, he must exercise considerable force |
o free himself, the two lobes having to be |
uptured before yielding up their prey.
Mr.. Candy. an American botanist, has
made experiments on the dioneL He fed |
he leaves with meat, flies and other insects,
'ut found that cheese could not be digested
y them, and acted upon them as poison,
De leef becoming black and finally dropping
IT, He describes eight" between the
ionoeA and an insect of the coleoptera family.
'eing captured by the plant and smothered
y its poisonous juice, the poor animal tried
. escape by boring hole in the leaf As he
Tas evidently getting weaker, Mr.. Candy
e'ped him out BY opening the leaf, bu. tn