406 TJTKICULAEIA NEGLECTA. Chap. XVII 



fits, I may mention that my son found a Daplmia 

 which had inserted one of its antennae into the slit, 

 and it was thus held fast during a whole day. On 

 three or four occasions I have seen long narrow larvae, 

 both dead and alive, wedged between the corner of 

 the valve and collar, with half their bodies within the 

 bladder and half out. 



As I felt much difficulty in understanding how such 

 minute and weak animals, as are often captured, 

 could force their way into the bladders, I tried many 

 experiments to ascertain how this was eifected. The 

 free margin of the valve bends so easily that no 

 resistance is felt when a needle or thin bristle is 

 inserted. A thin human hair, fixed to a handle, 

 and cut off so as to project barely ^ of an inch, 

 entered with some difficulty ; a longer piece yielded 

 instead of entering. On three occasions minute par- 

 ticles of blue glass (so as to be easily distinguished) 

 were placed on valves whilst under water ; and on 

 trying gently to move them with a needle, they disap- 

 peared so suddenly that, not seeing what had happened, 

 I thought that I had flirted them off; but on ex- 

 amining the bladders, they were found safely enclosed. 

 The same thing occurred to my son, who placed little 

 cubes of green box-wood (about -^J^ of an inch, -423 

 mm.) on some valves ; and thrice in the act of placing 

 them on, or whilst gently moving them to another 

 spot, the valve suddenly oj)ened and they were en- 

 gulfed. He then placed similar bits of wood on other 

 valves, and moved them about for some time, but they 

 did not enter. Again, particles of blue glass were 

 placed by me on three valves, and extremely minute 

 shavings of lead on two other valves ; after 1 or 2 hrs. 

 none had entered, but in from 2 to 5 hrs. all five 

 were enclosed. One of the particles of glass was a 



