country, though a common inhabitant of the fwamps in North- 

 America from Carolina to Florida. The Angularity of the 

 flower confifts principally in the ftigma, which is fpread over 

 the parts of fructification like an umbrella. Between the angles 

 of this umbrella the flaccid petals hang down fomewhat in the 

 manner as a woman's leg hangs over the pummel of the fide- 

 faddle, which we fuppofe was the origin of the name given it 

 by the firfi Englifh fettlers. 



The leaves being hollow tubes capable of holding water, 



LinnjEUs ingenioufly confidered this curious conformation 



as a metamorphofis of the leaves of a Nymphaea into a 



form fit for receiving and retaining rain water. And we are 



told that " the hollow parts of the leaves have always water 



** {landing in them, and the top or ear is fuppofed, in hot dry 



*' weather, to fhrink, and fall over the mouth of the tube, and 



" ferve as a lid to prevent the exhalation of the water. In 



•* great droughts birds and other animals repair to thefe 



" plants." There would be more probability in this hy- 



pothefis if thefe plants were found growing in dry places, 



but they will not live except in wet fituations, where the roots 



can readily find water without the aid of thefe fuppofed re- 



fervoirs. In the cultivated plant we rarely find any water in 



the leaves ; nor does it appear that the appendix at the end in 



this fpecies ever clofes upon the opening, fo that the real pur- 



pofe of this curious conftruttion is probably not yet difcovered. 



In fome of the fpecies a great number of infe&s find a prifon, 



from which it feems they cannot eafily extricate themfelves, but 



what purpofe the death of thefe can ferve in the economy of this 



plant, or in any other of the fly-traps, is as yet totally unknown. 



Miller recommends the pots to be kept conftantly in 

 water, and only protected from froft by a glafs-frame in the 

 winter ; but we more ufually fee them kept in an airy part 

 of the ftove. In a manufcript journal of the late Mr. Thomas 

 Collin son, he remarks having feen the Sarracenia (but 

 whether the yellow or purple is not noted) flowering in the 

 open air in the greatell perfection he ever faw, in the wet rock- 

 work at the Duke of Athol's at Dunkeld. 



The figure in Catesby's Natural Hiftory of Carolina differs 

 fo materially from our plant, efpecially in the fhape of the ap- 

 pendage of the leaves, as to lead to a fufpicion that it belongs to 

 a different fpecies. 



Our drawing was taken at Mr. Fraser's, Sloane-Squarc. 



