Pond Life a 
settle, extremely sensitive hairs on being 
touched by the insect contract and curve 
over it so as to imprison it. The plant 
then, by means of a certain acid, actually 
digests the fly, absorbing it into its own 
system. After which, but not before, 
the hairs spring up in readiness for 
another victim. The Venus fly-trap is 
so sensitive that on being touched it 
shuts up and imprisons any fly or small 
insect, and also digests it. Other plants 
which do the same thing are the curious 
pitcher-plants, which possess deep 
pitchers full of sweet liquid in which the 
flies are caught for the benefit of the 
plant. After this, we can only say that 
if plants have no minds they seem to do 
remarkably well without. 
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