ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
A. Insectivorous plants, as exemplified by Sarracenia, Dar- 
lingtonia, Drosera, Nepenthes, Utricularia, and (Enothera spe- 
ciosa. This phase of the subject has often been presented in 
print, both in the scientific and popular literature. 
B. Insect- catching, but not insect- devouring, plants, the plants 
deriving no conceivable benefit from the capture of the insects. 
There are innumerable instances of this sort and the phenom- 
enon is so common that, generally speaking, no particular at- 
tention has been given to it by entomologists, excepting in one 
case, viz., the insects preserved in amber or gum anime, con- 
cerning which quite an extensive literature has arisen. This 
whole phase. of plants catching insects in an accidental or ap- 
parently accidental way may again be subdivided as follows : 
1 . Plants capture insects by means of sticky surfaces or exuda- 
tions, which may occur on the stems, leaves, flowers, or any other 
part of the plant. In many instances these exudations have ap- 
parently no attraction to insects. In other instances sticky or 
gummy substances, exuding from wounds or other injury re- 
ceived by plants, attract and capture insects by the odor of the 
excretion as exemplified by the resin of our coniferous trees. 
Finally, such exudations, when fermenting, possess intoxicating 
properties and attract and drown many, often large-sized, in- 
sects. Of this character are the exuding saps of oaks, birches, 
sugar maples, and other trees. 
2. Sharp blades of grasses capture insects. This is a rare phe- 
nomenon, but is referred to both in the European and North 
American literature. Diurnal or crepuscular insects, mostly 
Coleoptera, while slowly flying about get caught by the grass in 
such way that the blade enters the angle formed by the bases of 
the fore and hind wings. The insects caught in this particular 
position are entirely unable to free themselves, and perish. 
3. Insects are caught by the hairy surfaces of plants. This is 
also a common occurrence of a purely mechanical and accidental 
nature. Small and weak insects, usually Diptera, fly against 
the hairy stem or leaves of plants, e. g., our common mullein, 
and, are unable to extricate themselves from the dense mass of 
hairs. 
4. Crepuscular or Nocturnal Lepidoptera caught by the tongue by 
the flowers of Physianthus albens and other asclepiadacious 
plants. 
5. Insects are caught by spinous plants, for instance, thistles 
and cacti. These do not capture any insects except that in very 
rare instances a specimen gets impaled by flying against the 
spines. There is in Cuba a second species of Cenchrus just as 
spinous as Cenchrus echinatus, but the spines point upwards so 
that insects which happen to fly against the ears of the grass 
