Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-14
A VEGETABLE FISHERMAN.
a Plant That Goes A-fishing-An Enemy
of the Fish CuIturists.
FroEa Ia PhiIadelpAla 40.


From the Philadelphia Times.
"Anything new? Any twentY-pound
trout or continental fish stories in the
air?" asked reporter OF fish a culturist
grown rotund in the government en-
ploy.
ayes, there is something new," replied
the fish man. Como Ia and look at these
weeds"
The visitor took the seat indicated at
table covered with dishes containing q
variety of plants, small fishes, magnify
ing glasses and other material incidental
to the fish cultursts profession, and look
ing through the glass handed him saw
what had apparently been mass of
weeds become clear and distinct and re-
solved itself into delicate brush-like
aquatic plant, covered over at the june
ture of the various stems with a number
of bladder-like objects of a rich green
hue and seemingly made up Of in
Vulnerable facets, SO that they appeared
like mimic vases Of richly-cOl0red metals
hammered into shape by some fairy
worker in metal
Clipping one of these little vessels from
its delicate stem the fish culturist placed
1t upon the slide OF q microscope, through
WHICH ii appeared as large as lima bean
and still more beautiful. II now cleaned
with a pellucid light, owing, as was
evident, to a bubble Of air In the interior,
that movek about in its prison like an
opal. The cup was also seen 10 have
perfect lid, that opened in instead OF out,
and from the edge OutWards extended
several long, hair-like processes, that
gave the entire object the appearance of
what q specialist OF crabs would call an
entrOmostracean crustacean (patent ap-
piled for).
"Now, them said the fish man, ''you
have taken in the chief points Of the
object and you see it is a regular pitcher,
bowl or jug-call it what you will-that
is suspended on the plant by a delicate
stem, and that it has spring cover. Now
watch the cover when Iput this shot upon
it,"
The reporter again applied his eye to
the glass; the shot was placed upon the
delicate I'D, quickly and mysteriously dis
appearing. 'lo. -
Eyes, it has gone in. In other words"
continued the speaker, "the bladder is
trap and catches everything that pushes
on the cover. BY this you can see what
harm may be DONE" and shifting the slide
the speaker replaced it by one that con-
tanned another of the curious traps,
though larger and having in its mouth or
| opening the body Of "a young tish. The
tail of the little creature was completely
| absorbed by the plant and the fish had
| long since given up the struggle.
Eyes, IL is a veritable vegetable fisher
man." said the specialist, land one Of the
latest discovered enemies Of the fish
culturist. 1t is common weed enough
and known generally as the bladderwOrt.
1t is very popular in aquariums and fish
runs, and there is little doubt but that
| large numbers of fishes are destroyed by
In
| England and that accidentally, and the
! discOVerer Immediately went to work
! making experiments. 1t was found that
out Of twenty-five fishes placed in the
| weed One-half Of them were in the traps in
| less than six hours, and judging from the
way in which they were caught some
| people think that the plants are as much
animals as the fishes. Some experiments
made here have attracted considerable at
| tentiOn. In one case observed by myself
one of the fishes was caught by the tail
and another bladder had seized it by the
head and both plants were hard at work
absorbing it,"
''Do they eat the fish," asked the WISH
| tor.
eyes," was the reply. ''The animal is
! taken into the bladder as farsas it will 90
! and then some secretion is eXuded that
Hseems to assist IN digestng the fish. At
the plant and evidently goes to help
sustain it, which is also true Of large
number of plants. In Sumatra a flower
has been discovered that IS twelve feet
across and weighs ten or fifteen pounds,
the petals being 80 strong that a man eau
! jump upon them without breaking
! through, so to speak. Right in the centre
Of this flower there is round basin-like
structure that holds about quart Of
| liquid or water, and INTO this thousands
of insects and even small animals are
enticed and drowned and absorbed by the
| plant; in order words, the oval basin Is
the flowers mouth, or one OF them. SO
with many of the picher plants. They
are all traps, baited with peculiar doors
that attract their prey. This discovery
about the bladderwOrt is an important
one, but whether it justifies US in taking
any steps toward its determination has
| not vet been detprminQdV