30 BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



to the Restigouche, and, so far as determined, occupies a 

 narrow strip extending about twenty miles, from the Chain 

 of Rocks to half a mile below Morissey's Rock. It belongs 

 to the insectivorous plants, and one might wish that it 

 was found in much greater abundance through the whole 

 lengtli of the Restigouche. Its area of distribution is 

 wide, extending over the Arctic and subarctic regions of 

 North America, Europe and Asia. On the Restigouche 

 it is found with the primrose, mosses, and other plants 

 loving like situations, on wet rocks over which flow waters 

 from cold springs. It has two-lipped flowers of a violet 

 blue color borne singly on the top of slender scapes, about 

 six inches high, which spring from the centre of a rosette 

 of leaves of a yellowish-green color, which rest on the rock 

 or ground. The margin of each leaf is turned upward 

 forming a kind of trough, and the whole upper surface of 

 the leaves is covered with minute glands, which secrete a 

 kind of mucilage, entrapping midges and other small 

 insects. Like our Sundew {Drosera rotundifolia), these 

 glands are not stimulated to action by drops of rain or the 

 pressure upon them of minute grains of mineral substance, 

 but when an organic body, such as an insect, is brought in 

 contact with them they are stimulated and pour forth, in 

 addition to the mucilage, an acid secretion which has the 

 power to dissolve animal substances, behaving exactly as 

 does the gastric juice in the animal stomach, digesting the 

 unfortunate insect that alights upon the leaves. In the 

 Drosera the tentacles which arc found upon the upper 

 surface of the leaves in such abundance aid in capturing 

 the insects. In Pijiguiciila the upturned edge of the leaf 

 performs that office. If the insect attempts to crawl over 

 this margin the edge curves over still further imprisoning 

 the insect and pushing it toward the middle to bring it in 

 contact with as many glands as possible. After absorption 



