THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 157 



n. filiformis with its tall spikes covered with sticky fluid and 

 the webs were not spun by spiders but are of the same sticky 

 fluid drawn by the swayinji^ and touching of the leaves. One 

 could hardly sui)pose that these webs would hold even a 

 very small insect, but, the breakin<y web mij^ht easily assist 

 in landinji^ the victim against the plant, where it would be 

 beld fast by the viscid fluid. 



The leaf of the pitcher plant {/). purfnirca) being wide 

 open is full of water, probably mostly rain water and its 

 victimes are sim])Iy drowned. One insect has found 

 a use for this little vessel of water and the leaves 

 will usually be found to contain larvae of the mosquito. 

 The trumpet leaves of S. flora and S. variolaris, being 

 covered so that no rain water can get in them, have 

 less juice, or water, in them and I have never found in them 

 any wiggletails, or mosquito larva, but, even these are used 

 as a breding place jjy at least two insects, the larvae of one 

 at least sharing the catch with its host. 



But far the most interesting of these insectivorous plants 

 is \>nus' fly-trap. It is very fascinating to touch the inside 

 of the leaves and see them close, which they do just as one 

 closes his hand over an object, and almost as quicklv, and it 

 is interesting to open the leaves and see the variety of insects 

 caught. Beetles seem to be the chief victims, though small 

 grasshoppers, crickets and spiders may be found and I have 

 found one containing a small snail shell. 



In the spring this plant sends up a scape from six to 

 twelve inches high bearing a cluster of very pretty white 

 flowers and around the base of this is a rosette of leaves, 

 open, like mouths, or steel traps, and woe to the insect that 

 slips from the flower above, or crawls into one of these 

 traps. As soon as one of the small hairs inside the leaf is 

 touched the jaws close with astonishing quickness, the long 



