1892.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 11 



ently a sheltered one, may not be disadvantageous ; an insect 

 crawling from the pool must first pass the fringe of traps, or, 

 Hying unskillfully, is not unapt to find its Avay to the bases of the 

 marginal grasses. The late Dr. Thomas F. Wood, of Wilmington, 

 to whose suggestions and kindness I have been greatl}' indebted, 

 pointed out to me that the plant is not, as often supposed, a 

 native of dry and sandy fiats, nor, like Drosera, common on 

 moist mud flats, nor yet on the high brinks and plant covered 

 banks of large stagnant pools. It apjDears to be less general 

 in its actual place of occurrence than the common predatory 

 plants that are well represented in this region. The locality 

 is even in a noteworthy degree rich in insectivorous species. 

 At one point, for example, within a radius of four feet 

 were noted Dionaea, three Droseras (longifolia, brevifolia, 

 rotundifolia), two butterworts (Pinguicula lutea, vulgaris), and 

 the purple Sarracenia. 



At the time of my visit, (Mar. 30 — Apr. 5) the plants had not 

 yet reached their maximum growth, the largest trap measuring 

 1 1-4 inch in length, the leaf stalks appearing much shorter, 

 1 to 2 inches, and more delicate than had been expected. The 

 color of the large traps was esjiecially different from that 

 observed in hot-house specimens, the inner side of the large 

 eaves deep brownish j^urple, developing into scarlet and pink at" 

 the edges, the younger leaves darkening from the mid-rib 

 outward. 



The Disposition of the Traps and the Plant's Feeding Habits. 



In his historic study of Dionaea, Darwin refers to "The man- 

 ner in which insects are caught,'' and notes that among the in- 

 sects entrapped in the fourteen leaves sent him by Dr. Canby, 

 from North Carolina, but one proved to be a topical flying insect. 

 This note is so suggestive of life habits that it is remarkable 

 that the author did not follow it up and discuss the plant's 

 adaptation in capturing ground insects. When looked at in this 

 light Dionaea appears to be remarkably specialized, and would 

 merit the name 'ant' or 'beetle catcher,' rather than 'fly-trap.' 

 The traps, in the first place, are found expanded not in the air 

 but on the ground * and appear to be specially adapted for this 

 position in as mv;ch as (1) a joint occurs between petiole and 

 blade which renders it possible for the traj) to adjust itself to the 

 ground, and in as mu.ch as (2) the tip of the trap Avhich is usually 



* Of one hundred full grown traps there were ninety whose tips were adjusted 

 to the ground, six whose sides rested upon the ground, and but four whose 

 traps did not descend. 



