SUNDEW. 127 



leaf the tentacles begin slowly to move in- 

 wards, until they finally shut down tightly 

 over the object, as we can imagine the fin- 

 gers to shut down over an object in the 

 palm of the hand. AVe will suppose this 

 object to be an insect. As soon as it alights 

 upon the leaf the tentacles throw out more 

 of the viscid "dew," which holds him se- 

 curely, and the more he struggles the more 

 the substance is poured out and the faster 

 the surrounding tentacles come to the aid of 

 the weak ones near the centre of the leaf. 

 Once upon the leaf the insect is doomed. 

 The leaves of the drosera or sundew lie 

 upon the ground, and they are therefore 

 more apt to be visited by ants and other 

 crawling insects. If an unfortunate ant 

 comes in contact with one of the extended 

 tentacles he is caught by the attractive glue, 

 and the tentacle at once begins to move in- 

 wards just as a finger is bent over to the 

 palm. The tentacle does not go alone, but 

 its neighbors come to the feast as well. When 

 "the insect is thoroughly entrapped under a 

 number of deflexed tentacles, an acid secre- 

 tion is thrown out which digests it. After 

 the feast is over the tentacles return to their 

 former position and lie in wait for another 



