Fluid in the Ascidia o/' Nepenthes. 197 



When burnt the 1*22 gi-ain lost in weight 0-44 of a grain, 

 or 100 parts of the residue lost 3606 per cent. 



The solid matter of this liquid was very hygroscopic, and co- 

 loured more yellow than that of the Botanical and Experimental 

 Gardens. 1 found that the total weight of the solid matter in this 

 fluid was not so large as in that of the Experimental Gardens, but 

 that the proportion of organic matter in the residue was larger 

 than that in the residue of the fluid procured from the Experi- 

 mental Gardens. 



7. Water from opened pitcher- plants grown in Messrs. Dick- 

 son's nursery, June 24th, 1849. 



This fluid was yellow-coloured and not quite clear. Litmus 

 paper was turned red when moistened with the water. The re- 

 actions were the same as above, with the exception that nitrate of 

 barytes produced a slight turbidity, indicating the presence of 

 sulphuric acid. As I found no sulphuric acid in the liquid from 

 the unopened pitchers of the same plants, nor in any of the 

 liquids I examined, I think the sulphuric acid which I found 

 must have resulted from the water with which the plants had 

 been watered which had found its way into the open pitchers*. 

 In order to see if the liquid contained any volatile acid, I sub- 

 jected about half an ounce of it to distillation. The distillation 

 was continued till the residue in the glass retort was evaporated 

 to dryness, and the generated steam carefully condensed in a 

 glass receiver. The distilled portion was perfectly pure water, 

 and experienced no change by any reagent. 



It results from this experiment that the liquid in the ascidia 

 of Nepenthes does not contain any volatile acids, such as acetic or 

 formic acid. 



8. Fluid from unopened pitcher-plants grown in the Royal 

 Gardens, Kew. 



Having been unable to detect any oxalic acid in the above- 

 mentioned fluids, I was anxious to ascertain whether or not the 

 fluid of plants grown in other localities contained oxalic acid. I 

 therefore applied to Sir W. Hooker, who with great liberality di- 

 rected some liquid of unopened pitcher-plants grown in the Kew 

 Royal Botanical Gardens to be sent to me. The physical and 

 chemical characters of this fluid were precisely the same as those 

 of the previously examined liquids. The proportion of solid 

 matter it held in solution however was much smaller. 

 299*87 grains of the liquid left on evaporation only 



0*82 of a grain of diy residue. 

 100 parts of the liquid therefore contained 



0'27 per cent, of solid matter. 



* The water in this instance was procured chiefly from the Water of Leith. 



