THE SUNDEW 



If the midge or fly is near the margin of the leaf, the 

 edge of the latter begins to curl or roll inwards over it. 

 It does so very slowly, and may not finish rolling over the 

 insect for some hours. Whilst this is going on acids and 

 " gastric juice," or ferments which act in the same way, are 

 being poured over the body of the midge, which is finally 

 completely digested. Next day, having finished the midge, 

 the leaf majestically unrolls itself again and waits for 

 another. 



The juice contains rennet, and is used by the Lapps in 

 making a horrible delicacy called Tatmiolk. It has also 

 been used by the Swiss shepherds for at least two hundred 

 years, to cure sores on cows' udders. 



The other British plant is the Sundew (Drosera). Every 

 one who has been on peat-mosses and moors probably knows 

 its little reddish rosettes of small rounded or spoon-shaped 

 leaves lying on bare peat or wet mossy ground. Each leaf 

 seems to be covered by hundreds of glittering little dewdrops 

 (whence the name). 



The hairs or tentacles which cover the leaf secrete this 

 glistening, sticky fluid. There must be about two hundred 

 of them on a single leaf. 



An insect flying about near the Sundew is sure to be 

 attracted by the conspicuous glittering, reddish leaves, and 

 probably alights upon it. Then it finds itself caught and 

 begins to struggle, but this simply brings it against more 

 tentacles. 



Now happens the most wonderfiil part of the whole per- 

 formance. All the neighbouring tentacles, although they 

 have not been touched, bend over towards the struggling 

 insect and pin it down in the middle of the leaf. They do 

 not bend over very quickly. In two or three minutes they 



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