11(3 DEOSEEA ROTUNDIFOLIA. Chap. VI. 



a non-albuminous, substance ; and the absorption of a 

 very small quantity of the former would excite the 

 leaves, and yet not decrease the casein to a percep- 

 tible degree. Schiff asserts*— and this is an import- 

 ant fact for us— that " la caseine purifiee des chimistes 

 est un corps presque completement inattaquable par 

 le sue gastrique." So that here we have another 

 point of accordance between the secretion of Drosera 

 and gastric juice, as both act so differently on the 

 fresh casein of milk, and on that prepared by 

 chemists. 



A few trials were made with cheese ; cubes of ^V o^ 

 an inch (1-27 mm.) were placed on four leaves, and 

 these after one or two days became well inflected, 

 their glands pouring forth much acid secretion. 

 After five days they began to re-expand, but one 

 died, and some of the glands on the other leaves were 

 injured. Judging by the eye, the softened and sub- 

 sided masses of cheese, left on the discs, were very 

 little or not at all reduced in bulk. We may, how- 

 ever, infer from the time during which the tentacles 

 remained inflected, — from the changed colour of some 

 of the glands, — and from the injury done to others, 

 that matter had been absorbed from the cheese. 



Legumin. — I did not procure this substance in a 

 separate state ; but there can hardly be a doubt that 

 it would be easily digested, judging from the powerful 

 effect produced by drops of a decoction of green 

 peas, as described in the last chapter. Thin slices of 

 a dried pea, after being soaked in water, were placed 

 on two leaves ; these became somewhat inflected in 

 the course of a single hour, and most strongly so in 

 21 hrs. They re-expanded after three or four days. 



* 'Lemons,' &c. torn. ii. p. 153. 



