178 DROSERA ROTUNDIFOLIA. (Cuar. IX. 
very variable, depending, I suppose, on the constitution or age of the 
plant, or on some unknown condition. It sometimes causes the tentacles 
to move with extraordinary rapidity, and sometimes produces no such 
eflect. The glands are sometimes rendered for a time insensible to the 
action of raw meat, but sometimes are not thus affected, or in a very 
slight degree. A plant recovers from a small dose, but is easily killed 
by a larger one. 
A plant was left for 30 m. under a bell-glass holding 19 fluid oz. 
(539°9 c.c.) with eight drops of chloroform, and before the cover was 
removed, most of the tentacles became much inflected, though they 
did not reach the centre. After the cover was removed, bits of meat 
were placed on the glands of several of the somewhat incurved tentacles ; 
these glands were found much blackened after 6 hrs. 80 m., but no 
irae movement ensued. After 24 hrs. the leaves appeared almost 
dead. 
A smaller bell-glass, holding 12 fluid oz. (840°8 c.c.), was now em- 
ployed, and a plant was left for 90 s. under it, with only two drops of 
chloroform. Immediately on the removal of the glass all the tentacles 
curved inwards so as to stand perpendicularly up; and some of them 
could actually be seen moving with extraordinary quickness by little 
starts, and therefore in an unnatural manner; but they never reached 
the centre. After 22 hrs. they fully re-expanded, and on meat 
being placed on their glands, or when roughly touched by a needle, 
they promptly became inflected; so that these leaves had not been in 
the least injured. 
Another plant was placed under the same small bell-glass with three 
drops of chloroform, and before two minutes had elapsed, the tentacles 
began to curl inwards with rapid little jerks. The glass was then 
removed, and in the course of two or three additional minutes almost 
every tentacle reached the centre. On several other occasions the vapour 
did not excite any movement of this kind. 
‘There seems also to be great variability in the degree and manner 
in which chloroform renders the glands insensible to the subsequent 
action of meat. In the plant last referred to, which had been exposed 
for 2m. to three drops of chloroform, some few tentacles curved up 
only to a perpendicular position, and particles of meat were placed on 
their glands; this caused them in 5 m. to begin moving, but they 
moved so slowly that they did not reach the centre until 1 hr. 20 m- 
had elasped. Another plant was similarly exposed, that is, for 2 m., to 
three drops of chloroform, and on particles of meat being placed on the 
glands of several tentacles, which had curved up into a perpendicular 
position, one of these began to bend in 8 m., but afterwards moved 
very slowly ; whilst none of the other tentacles moved for the next 
40m. Nevertheless, in 1 hr. 45 m. from the time when the bits of 
meat had been given, all the tentacles reached the centre. In this 
case some slight anesthetic effect apparently had been produced. On 
the following day the plant had perfectly recovered. 
Another plant bearing two leaves was exposed for 2 m. under the 
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