UO UTIUCULARIA NEGLECTA. CHAP. XVII 



allow auimals to enter and to prevent their escape ; 

 and as the inside of the bladder presents so singular 

 a structure, clothed with innumerable quadrifid and 

 bifid processes, it is impossible to doubt that the plant 

 has been specially adapted for securing prey. From 

 the analogy of Pinguicula, belonging to the same 

 family, I naturally expected that the bladders would 

 have digested their prey ; but this is not the case, and 

 there are no glands fitted for secreting the proper 

 fluid. Nevertheless, in order to test their power of 

 digestion, minute fragments of roast meat, three small 

 cubes of albumen, and three of cartilage, were pushed 

 through the orifice into the bladders of vigorous 

 plants. They were left from one day to three days 

 and a half within, and the bladders were then cut 

 open ; but none of the above substances exhibited the 

 least signs of digestion or dissolution ; the angles of the 

 cubes being as sharp as ever. These observations were 

 made subsequently to those on Drosera, Dionroa, Droso- 

 phyllum, and Pinguicula ; so that I was familiar with 

 the appearance of these substances when under- 

 going the early and final stages of digestion. We may 

 therefore conclude that Utricularia cannot digest the 

 animals which it habitually captures. 



In most of the bladders the captured animals are so 

 much decayed that they form a pale brown, pulpy 

 mass, with their chitinous coats so tender that they 

 fall to pieces with the greatest ease. The black 

 pigment of the eye-spots is preserved better than any 

 thing else. Limbs, jaws, &c. are often found quite 

 detached ; and this I suppose is the result of the vain 

 struggles of the later captured animals. I have 

 sometimes felt surprised at the small proportion of 

 imprisoned animals in a fresh state compared with 

 those utterly decayed. Mrs. Treat states with respect 



