, 1875-09-18
Obieot-Lessous in zoology---Momoirs
Of John Quincy Adams
Archery IN Great Drltain..-Tho Cor
uorattou Of London Library.
Scientific Notes.-The iManateo--- Tall
Iortolses---" Flower Of the
Holy Ghost"


FRUSTRATING PLANTS.
rr..er,yosous Ps,Asrs. by CnAasts pAnwrS, II. A.,
+, IL H. etc. WILL Illustrations. fano., pp. 4C1'
New Yusk II. Appleton Il Co. Ft!cr, 81.
Tim interesting fact tllas certain species Of |
,,.vte arc In The habit Of capturing insocts for
lie evident purpose OF feeding upon them- has
lang tocn known to naturaliatB; and u consldcfn-
b]a literature, ombod,ing tho results Ut rlh,'i- |
rotd aud wsde-apread observations, laA nccn1n!'-
lated upon tho subject. Tho most extended |
trcatso that has yot appeared Is this from AIT.
Darwin, au Investigator Of whom it IL we'll
:. known that Whcl ho onco undertaken tho
.olution Of problom in actencc, hoYas 'oases
It until 1t las bocu tetlcd by an OK.
1susttyo series OF experiments sustained
with marvellous patenco and ingenuity. Mr.
Darwin entered upon tho study or inscctisotous
plants In 1860. and with tue help Of !la two sonH,
Uoo1go aud Francis, aud Of various other or"
merits III ectenco, ho has afnsssed III tho i1ftcon
Gubset]lcnt yeara at amount of fresh and cutl-
Qua data sufficient 10 I'll! tho present portly duo
aecimo.
uia observations hare bean mainly given TO
tl,e U,osHGccG, = natural order Of plRlla CON-
pr!sing six known genora, vzs Mo'e'".
uiouqea, Urosophyaun,, ,Borid"la, Bybis. and
Aiarorauda. All tho members Of this family
capture ipaects and conslmo them. or tho h'1
reuera into which tho family ia Divided, tho
Urosern las ia tho words Of Mr. DaT~!n,
.shecn incomrarably the most successful IN tho
battlv OF Hfe," Il includos about lo0 speclos,
"whtch rAngo iu tho Old World from tho Arctio
rceions to SoutAcrn India, to tho Caro- Of Good
11one. MADAGASCAR, mud Australia and Ia tic
Nav World from Eauada to Torra del iueeo'
bIt. Darwin has recorded observations upon nn1
seyon spccies Of. tho Drosors, by far tho gfenter
mi Of Ills study haTlng been given to tho H.
rotundi}olaa.
Thia lt,lo plant is in point Of a[zc IN tnn1Gnid.
cant tuon,bcr Of tho vegetable Kingdom. It's
Hcal,-oat,ug habits laYo elevated 1t to go much
Importance among nhturalIats. that IL WILL 10 APT
Ia t,isapnojpt thoso hitherto unacquRlutcd with
iha nlant to ind tlsss half. .a-dozsn full::grown
1oselkneps would have abundant room to flourish
il, lu,up Of oarth ou'y rs big a. the palm Of
nne's hand, Tho largest leayua will not averaEe
shove third Of an incl, III diameter. Eaoi pn1tt
Las from two to Blx leaves. sl'ranEtng aireolty
from The root, md generally living NEARLY Hat with
facca looking upward. Tho upper eIlrfaco
OF lilo lenyes ia covered with Dno hsrs Of
tcntaclca eacl, bearing on Its tip gland tAat ~
sur1out,Ied with largo dropa Of M extremely
viscid secretion. single leaf boars frotn l00
TO 2GU tcutacios aud their beads ot spatkA,lB
fluid that never dries hasn acquired d. Tor the
MINT the common uhmo Of enu-ttoW. The n!ans
grows In damp soil and inhhlits both tho Now
and Old World It IL found IN abundance faw
n,los from Chieago, st Pine 6tatiau and
1t,ors, OH tho snu.horu Michigan and baltimore
d Ohio Railroads.
Tic wotdor about this minute plant is that
its ]oayps arc yertAblo traps, attracting insects
by tle,r odos, or by the promise Of nectar: which
tlor gstenipg, dew.liko drops hold out ,, for te
pla,it cannot thrive. Tho roots OF this, ~
Of iii iusecliyorous plant. arc poorly developed.
and incapable OF deriving enough rourislt11eut
from the soil to sustain ~ hie; lhos' ~ DHf e
edges Of itH lcnyca curlad inward. ~ ns to form
n Temporary stomach, with tho gnnde OF tho
c1oeey.iunoctcd tentac!ca pouring forth thoF
nrltl secretlup, which dissulyea animal matter,
afterwards to be absorbed, may be salo to food
like Al animal uut. differently from an ami
NAL il druks by means Of it, roots = and IT must
dfk 1sEYey s9 j., ~ 10 re.an az
an 2Go, exposed auF1pe tho whole day to slaF'na
From tho szo of tho plsnt It may be Judged
.s 4 !; sss s.png's sn, Ely 1 ih5 f sest tss C. ~
] butterfly cao,.vay!Srlta pamphilus}, but laIge
yns rsg9nay hss Gosn found by A1s.o: 's.xo:
snss 1nse'''r pntm1 nss .,'er 'p'I nowo1s to ho
and s.rsngio him. In places where
: Tue prosora 10 common tho number OF insoett
which 1t slaughtola must 30 enormous. ." gath
"bo.ring flfsy-sl1 fully expanded !eaves, and OF
tAi,ty-oua Of tleso dead insects or retnains ol
leayeS had caught taelF p1esi anu on aesesh
plants very tnsny leavee hal caught mora than .
bingo insect. On one largo Loaf found Tic 70
manH Of thirteen distinct insectA~" :,
Tie loaf captures Insects thst alsht upon it
t BY esus os the 'nodn na .iss mc
holds then, by tho tontactea that soHly curso II
and clasp the l'1tsonoFa on ayary slde. ~
glands on tho tontaclcH arc 30 nx1uisltoy aensl
smallest gnas coming in contact with tlle luis
surrounding tussn oxolto thoq to ectlon. hlr
Darwin asco1tatncd by experiment thas parti
cta Of human hair weighing l-357l4 q Erai1
10 Infect towards the centre Of tho leaf, Will
loss than the nsillopth al Rrhin Of rhen},hat
IT ammonia absorbed BY = gland rroducol th
.ams affect according to ns. N!tscake. tns9e. g
'hlightlng on = lcat, owing to thclr traclHe betn
As!ed by the viscid secretion whIch tho gland
pour out IN Trash supplies upon irritation.
Ts Secretion s1 pso,s bt 9.,%,a to b
BY tue stomach Of animals. Under lta ohscrya
tou it complote1Y d1aaolyed altumon muAcla
llhrip. a1oalar Tissue, cartilage tho tlbro'ls baH
Of BONO, gelatin, cAopdrin, caAcIn IN tho stas
In whiol. i exists In milk and gluten which ha
boon subjected TO weak hydrochloro acId. II
also demonstrated without = doubt that III
Aulma! nubslances dissolved BY this secfotlo
Aro absorbed by tile glands. and form tho chtc
part Of tho sustonsnca OF tho plant Boul
,louriahmeut IL probsbiy derived by the Drose1
from tho csrbonic acid tn tho atmosphere III
klko l&UW fRk9tkDlo h4Dh%4uCH6t A8 IRON III
ing seeds and pollen. which, when falling upo
tbs leAsoa, arc dlgostcd aud ass,nilatsd the aam
~ inaectA.
III Darwin hes recorded hls experiments upe
ths Urosera with the satno care aud uiauteua,
thAs he llaa executed them and tho account o
cupies three.fottha Of his volume In sun1nr
up tho evidence oousainol III hla dscovorIoa i
rresentss1me speculationawltAr rogard to tho MAJ
ner in which tho RenozA Of tie Droseracer
gradually acquired their reinarkatle powers
digesting and absorbing animal matter by ii
action oi their glauds. and by which lu sol.
csaes they gsiaaa ths added powor Of n,oy
mont. liz comparing tho structure Of the leayc
thelr degree Of complication. and their rue
msntsry parts In tho Bx genera. he conoeiy
tAat thsif common parent form had laayea til
were q almost ces.Aiaiy l!neas. psshaps divide
and bore on their uppef aud lover surfac
glands which had tle power Of secreting ii
absorbing Home Of thoso glands wore notlnt
on podlccls, and others wsro almost seasiIo Il
latter Aec1eting only when stiaauiasea by the :
eorptiou of animal matter.
Al