Chap. XIII. DIGESTION. 301 



mens kept in water. I then tried suspending a leaf 

 in a bottle over an excessively putrid infusion of 

 raw meat, to see Avhether they absorbed the vapour, 

 but their contents were not affected. 



Digestive Power of the Secretion* — When a leaf closes 

 over any object, it may be said to form itself into a 

 temporary stomach ; and if the object yields ever so 

 little animal matter, this serves, to use Schiff's expres- 

 sion, as a peptogene, and the glands on the surface 

 pour forth their acid secretion, which acts like the 

 gastric juice of animals. As so many experiments 

 were tried on the digestive power of Drosera, only a 

 few were made with Dionsea, but they were amply 

 sufficient to prove that it digests. This plant, more- 

 over, is not so well fitted as Drosera for observation, 

 as the process goes on within the closed lobes. Insects, 

 even beetles, after being subjected to the secretion for 

 several days, are surprisingly softened, though their 

 chitinous coats are not corroded. 



Experiment 1. — A cube of albumen of -^ of an inch (2"540 

 mm.) was placed at one end of a leaf, and at the other end 

 an oblong piece of gelatine, ^ of an inch (5*08 mm.) long, and 



* Dr. W. M. Canby, of Wil- not yielding- soluble nutriment; 



mington, to whom I am much and that in these latter cases the 



indebted for information regard- glands do not secrete. The Rev. 



iug Dionfca in its lative home, Dr. Curtis first observed (' Boston 



has published in the 'Gardener's Journal Nat. Hist.' vol. i. p. 123) 



Monthly,' Philadelphia, August the secretion from the glands. I 



18tj8, some interesting observa- may here add that a gardener, 



tions. He ascertained that the Mr. Knight, is said (Kirby and 



secretion digests animal matter, Spencer's 'Introduction to Ento- 



such as the contents' of insects, mology,' 1818, vol. i. p. 295) to 



bits of meat, &c. ; and that the have found that a plant of tlio 



secretion is reabsorbed. He was Dionsea, on the leaves of which 



also well aware that the lobes "he laid fine filaments of raw 



remain closed for a much longer beef, was much more luxuriant 



time when in contact with animal in its growth than others not so 



matter than when made to shut treated." 

 by a mere touch, or over objects 



