88 FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. 



that numbers of them gradually, but surely, found 

 their way to the bottom. Here another secretion is 

 stored, which doubtless possesses some properties of 

 its own, and has some function to perform. In order 

 to determine this, Dr. Millichamp proceeded to 

 the investigation of the fluid secretion of the 

 pitchers. 



" By draining every leaf plucked of its few drops of 

 juice, I collected about half an ounce of the secretion 

 in a vial, with which I made careful experiments in 

 testing its intoxicating effect upon insects. My 

 subjects were chiefly house-flies. About half a drachm 

 to a drachm of the secretion was placed in a small' 

 receptacle, and the flies thrown in from time to time,, 

 the liquor not being deep enough to immerse them 

 completely, but enabling them to walk about in it with- 

 out swimming and the risk of being drowned. Some 

 twenty flies were experimented with. At first the 

 fly makes an efi"ort to escape, though apparently he 

 never uses his wings in doing so — the fluid, though 

 not seemingly very tenacious, seems quickly to 

 saturate them, and so clings to them, and clogs them, 

 as to render flight impossible. A fly, when thrown in 

 water, is very apt to escape, as the fluid seems to run 

 from its wings, but none of these escaped from the 

 bath of the Sarracenia secretion. In their efforts to 

 escape they soon get unsteady in their movements, 

 and tumble sometimes on their backs ; recovering, 



