PITCHER-PLANTS. 109 



Lawson Tait disputes the fact. He says : " On the 

 under surface of the Hds of most pitchers are to be 

 seen glands identical in structure with those occurring 

 on the inner surface of the pitcher. Dr. Hooker 

 believes these to be honey-glands, but I differ from 

 that eminent authority, for the following reasons : — 

 That they are identical in structure with the true 

 digestive glands, and that they are better marked in 

 the pitchers where the lids cover the mouth com- 

 pletely, than in those which do not ; that in many 

 (such as in N. distillatorid) they are hooded in 

 exactly the same way as the glands of the pitcher ; 

 that when the gland is excited by food, I have been 

 able to detect acid secretion collected in the hoods of 

 the lid-glands of N. distillatoria ; that nectaries are 

 usually very inconspicuous, and only a small spot of 

 tissue which, without being transformed, produces the 

 nectar."^ 



The above appears to be very circumstantial, but 

 perhaps it did not occur to the writer to inquire for 

 what purpose acid-secreting, or digestive, glands occur 

 on the lid of the pitcher, or whether the acid secre- 

 tion found collected in the hoods might not have 

 been accidental, or whether he might not have over- 

 looked the " inconspicuous " honey-secreting glands, 



^ Structure of Pitcher-plants, in " Midland Naturalist," 

 March, 1880. 



