Fly-trap — Sim-dew. 6 1 



plant, or the sleep of the water lily when she folds 

 her petals of ivory and gold, to gather new beauty 

 and richer perfume for the morrow. 



There are among plants other operations whose 

 purpose we may not be able to solve satisfactorily, 

 while the acts or operations have all the character- 

 istics of instinctive contrivance. What shall we say 

 of the Catch-flies that at every joint pour out their 

 sticky fluid that holds all the smaller insects as bird- 

 lime spread by the fowler's art, holds birds upon the 

 branch ? There is also the Venus's fly-trap of our 

 southern states, that has a portion of its leaves fash- 

 ioned specially for its work — the barbs all set for 

 holding their prey — the bait poured out by the trap 

 itself to allure the unsuspecting fly within the cruel 

 jaws that close all the tighter for the victim's strug- 

 gles.^ Its near relation is that gem among the flow- 

 ers, the Sun-dew of our bogs. There is no more 

 beautiful object to a Botanist's eye than this Drose- 

 ra rotuiidifolia, that puts a garniture of ruby points 

 upon every leaf and has every point tipped with a 

 glittering diamond. In the sunlight it is like some 

 precious jewel. But all this display is death for the 

 unwary insects attracted by this tempting feast. 

 For every diamond point is simply treacherous glue 

 and is to the insect like the mire and quicksand to 

 the higher animals. Every struggle makes his case 

 more hopeless, and he is soon wound in a multitude 

 of threads drawn from those globes of clear waxy 

 dew that distills from the brilliant points and gives 



* — ^but secretes much more to digest him ! — Prof. A. Grat. 



