80 MEMORANDUM CONCERNING A NEW 



the United States by the names of Wild-cOtlon, cotton-plant, 

 &c*; with the view of making some experiments with the 

 milky juice of this plant, I was not a little surprized to find, 

 in the course of a few hours, a number of the common house- 

 flies strongly attached to the flowers; being secured, some by 

 their proboscis, and others by their legs : the greater number, 

 however, by their legs. I, at first, imagined, that the flies 

 were merely retained by the viscous juice of the flowers of 

 this Asclepias: but I soon found, that this was not the case 

 They were detained by the small valves of the flower, and I 

 observed, that the irritability of die valves seemed to reside 

 exclusively in one particular spot, not larger than the point of a 

 common sized pin. Neither in this spot nor in any other 

 part of the valve, could I observe the least vestige of a glutin- 

 ous or viscous quality. I think it sufficiently evident, that the 

 valve is endued with the irritable principle. 



In the genus Asclepias, the valves which I have noticed, 

 are ten in number, being situated in pairs, so as to form five 

 little fotfia, the structure and uses of which are not sufficiently 

 known to the botanists. 



A considerable number of flies, not less perhaps than sixty 

 or seventy, which alighted upon the flowers of my Asclepias, 

 were detained in the manner I have mentioned, a few by their 

 proboscis, the greater number, however, by their legs; and a 

 very few by their proboscis, and one or more of the legs- 

 Many of the flies, particularly die larger ones, were ena- 

 bled, after some time, to disengage themselves from their pri- 

 son, without the loss of any of dieir limbs or organs, or any 

 perceptible injury whatever. Many others effected their 

 escape, not however, without the loss of one or more of their 

 legs, or their proboscis. Not a few, after making long and 

 repeated efforts to regain their liberty, perished in their vege- 

 table prisons. 



* This it a very common plant in every part of the United States, that I have visited ; viz. 

 from the latitude of 43 to that of 38. It is a vegetable of considerable importance; and, accord- 

 ingly, it is cultivated, with much attention, in some parts of Europe. Paper, cloth, and other 

 useful articles are made out of its stems, the silk-like matter in the follicles, &c. In Canada, a 

 good brown sugar is procured from the nectar of the flowers, In the vicinity of Philadelphia,, 

 the plant flowers in June and July. 



