118 DEOSERA ROTUNDIFOLIA. CHAP. VI 



Smaller bits were placed on two leaves ; these were 

 only slightly inflected in two days, but afterwards 

 became much more so. Their secretion was not so 

 strongly acid as that of leaves excited by casein. 

 The bits of gluten, after lying for three days on the 

 leaves, were more transparent than other bits left for 

 the same time in water. After seven days both leaves 

 re-expanded, but the gluten seemed hardly at all 

 reduced in bulk. The glands which had been in 

 contact with it were extremely black. Still smaller 

 bits of half putrid gluten were now tried on two 

 leaves ; these were well inflected in 24 hrs., and 

 thoroughly in four days, the glands in contact being 

 much blackened. After five days one leaf began to 

 re-expand, and after eight days both were fully re- 

 expanded, some gluten being still left on their discs. 

 Four little chips of dried gluten, just dipped in 

 water, were next tried, and these acted rather dif- 

 ferently from fresh gluten. One leaf was almost 

 fully re-expanded in three days, and the other three 

 leaves in four days. The chips were greatly softened, 

 almost liquefied, but not nearly all dissolved. The 

 glands which had been in contact with them, instead 

 of being much blackened, were of a very pale colour, 

 and many of them were evidently killed. 



In not one of these ten cases was the whole of the 

 gluten dissolved, even when very small bits were 

 given. I therefore asked Dr. Burdon Sanderson to 

 try gluten in artificial digestive fluid of pepsin with 

 hydrochloric acid ; and this dissolved the whole. 

 The gluten, however, was acted on much more slowly 

 than fibrin ; the proportion dissolved within four 

 hours being as 4OS of gluten to 100 of fibrin. 

 Gluten was also tried in two other digestive fluids, 

 in which hydrochloric acid was replaced by propionio 



