HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 193 



three to five days. But all must perish by starvatiou; they decay, 

 aud the soluble remains are absorbed by certain sucking organs 

 inside the cavity. These cells are shown in Fig. 2; they clothe the 

 whole inner wall of the bladder or trap. Every four of them are 

 united by a common stem into a cross. The organic substances 

 of the decaying victims are thus absorbed, enter through the 

 stem uniting the four cells into the cell of the inner wall, and 

 from there from cell to cell through the whole plant. 



Most captives belong to the crustaceans, and are chiefly re- 

 cruited from the young and adult specimens of Cyjnis, Baphnia 

 and Cyclops; small infusoria and worms also enter. Even the 

 larvae of flies manage to crowd in, and it is a very pleasing sight 

 to see the energy displayed by the larvae of our mosquitos to be 

 eaten up. The number of the enclosed animals is quite large, 

 and as many as twenty-four crustaceans have been counted in a 

 single bladder. 



But what induces these animals to enter the traps ? We might 

 ■conclude that food could be found in this cavity, or that it afford- 

 ed a shelter against enemies. This latter affords a good explana- 

 tion, as the entrance to the mouth is so well protected against 

 larger animals, as seen in the illustration (Fig. 2.) Only very 

 small animals are to be admitted; larger ones must be kept away, 

 or they would injure the whole structure. It seems therefore 

 plausible, that the smaller animals, chased by larger ones, are 

 induced by the plant to enter — toescaiDe the frying pan and fall 

 into the fire. Species of Utricularia are found in Europe, North 

 and South America. One species, common in Brazil, is found 

 growing in the water collected by the leaves of some plants re- 

 lated to the pine apple. Usually but one specimen of the Blad- 

 der-wort is found in each cistern; if the water in that becomes 

 too low, the plant has the wonderful power of growing and direct- 

 ing a branch towards and into the adjoining cistern. 



Strange to say, species of Utricularia are known, which do not 

 live in water at all, but among mosses. But notwithstandino- 

 this very diff"erent habitat, they contain bladders quite able to 

 catch food. They grow in large numbers below the surface of 

 the soil, are perfectly transparent, and filled with clear water; 

 their mouths are carefully hidden, and usually roofed over to 

 prevent the soil from filling them. 



The second group of the first class, containing carnivorous 

 plants, whose leaves are transformed into pitchers or tubes, pre- 

 vent the escape of prisoners by means of variously formed spines 

 Vol. IV— 25. 



