324' THE BOTANICAL HISTORY OF ANGUS. 



leaf it naturally endeavours to escape, but is prevented by the viscid juice 

 which is secreted by the long hairs on its upper surface. In a short 

 time these hairs begin to be bent inwards, and "radually clasp the insect, 

 which about this time is found dead, not so much in all probability from 

 the pressure of the hairs, which cannot be great, but rather from the 

 nature of the fluid which they exude. After the hairs have thus enclosed 

 the animal the leaf itself begins to contract, and by very slow degrees at 

 last covers its prey. Although I by no means pretend to deny the fact 

 alleged by Dr. Withering, which was related from the actual experiment, 

 yet I am rather inclined to give more credit to the German author's 

 experiments. In a few trials which I made myself no contraction fol- 

 lowed after a very considerable time, nor did I at all observe it. But it 

 must be owned that as these w ere made with a pin instead of an insect, I 

 cannot pretend to contradict the fact, but rather to blame the mode in 

 which the trials w'ere made. For it is well known to every one who has 

 seen this plant in the growing state thai many of its leaves are generally 

 folded, and if these are opened there is always found some substance 

 enclosed. If, theiefore, the Drosera is endowed with such a power (and 

 there is the strongest reason to believe it is), we will have some difficulty 

 in accounting for it on principles merely mechanical. 1 now proceed 

 with my enumeration. 



J/nicH.s articnlatiis, viviparm, I observed growing plentifully in wet 

 ground near Forfar. In one case I saw the viviparous germen taking 

 root, and in several instances these viviparous plants llowered when one 

 half inch in height. 



AfhiduH Ui:n-iirsi and Epilubium alpinum. Both grow on many of the 

 Grampian Mountains. 



DifnithiiH deltoldes I likewise observed in several parts of Angus, and in 

 one found a variety of it with a stem not divided as is generally the case, 

 but simple, and supporting only one flower. Is it not probable that this or 

 some other variety of the same species is the plant mentioned by Sibbald 

 as growing on a hill near Perth, and inserted in the ' Flora Scotica' under 

 the name of Bianthus areiiarius ? To satisfy myself concerning this I 

 examined a hill in the vicinity of Perth (whether the same as that meant 

 by Sibbald I am uncertain), and actually found the Bianthus deltoides 

 and a variety with a white flower. I apprehend, therefore, that the 

 Dlanthus arenarius should be excluded from the ' Flora Scotica.' 



Si/eite amoena, as it has commonly been called by the botanical "\\riters 

 of this island, grows plentifully along the coast. It is, however, very 

 difl'ei-cnt from the plant so named by LinntBus, as evidently appears from 

 comparing it with tlie specific character and short description which that 

 author has given of his plant. It seems upon the whole very surprising 

 that this name should have been applied to a plant so totally different in 

 respect of characteristic distinctions, and almost im|)ossil)le to assign any 

 reason for such a conduct which has been almost universally adopted in 

 this country. It should, however, appear by the ' Hoi tus Kewensis ' 

 that this plant is nothing else than the variety of the Cncuhahis Belieii, 

 wdiich grows on the seacoast, mentioned by the older botanical authors. 

 But that it is more than a variety seems to me perfectly evident, as I 

 have seen the plant cultivated without any alteration being produced. It 

 even belongs to a different genus. But this will serve to show in a 

 manner how artificial and with vNhat impropriety the &ilene and Cucubalus 



