CHAP. II. INFLECTION INDIKECTLY CAUSED. 21 



placed on leaves, and these objects were well embraced 

 in various periods from 1 hr. to as long as 24 hrs., and 

 set free again, with the leaf fully re-expanded, in from 

 one or two, to seven or even ten days, according to 

 the nature of the object. On a leaf which had 

 naturally caught two flies, and therefore had already 

 closed and reopened either once or more probably 

 twice, I put a fresh fly : in 7 hrs. it was moderately, 

 and in 21 hrs. thoroughly well, clasped, with the 

 edges of the leaf inflected. In two days and a 

 half the leaf had nearly re-expanded ; as the exciting 

 object was an insect, this unusually short period of in- 

 flection was, no doubt, due to the leaf having recently 

 been in action. Allowing this same leaf to rest for 

 only a single day, I put on another fly, and it again 

 closed, but now very slowly ; nevertheless, in less than 

 two days it succeeded in thoroughly clasping the fly. 



When a small object is placed on the glands of the 

 disc, on one side of a leaf, as near as possible to 

 its circumference, the tentacles on this side are first 

 affected, those on the opposite side much later, or, as 

 often occurred, not at all. This was repeatedly proved 

 by trials with bits of meat ; but I will here give only 

 the case of a minute fly, naturally caught and still 

 alive, which I found adhering by its delicate feet to 

 the glands on the extreme left side of the central disc. 

 The marginal tentacles on this side closed inwards 

 and killed the fly, and after a time the edge of the 

 leaf on this side also became inflected, and thus 

 remained for several days, whilst neither the tentacles 

 nor the edge on the opposite side were in the least 

 affected. 



If young and active leaves are selected, inorganic 

 particles not larger than the head of a small pin, 

 placed on the central glands, sometimes cause the 



