PLANTS THAT KIDNAP 145 



wine colour. The full blossom is not unlike a kite 

 in shape, with a tail about eighteen inches long. 



The most frequent victims of the goose-plant's 

 diabolical lures are flies and crawling insects. They 

 are attracted by the seductive odour which lures 

 them into the long throat, from which they never 

 escape. There is a deep, slippery lining in the 

 throat, and the way in is very easy; but, owing to 

 a steeply inclined phalanx, there is no way out ; and 

 the deceived insect, after having distributed the 

 pollen from the male to the female flower, must die 

 a hopeless prisoner. 



A cousin to the goose-plant, and one equally 

 famed for its kidnapping proclivities, is the Aris- 

 tolochia clematitis. Its deceived prisoners are held 

 sometimes for a period of two days ; but when their 

 work is done they are set free. The insect enters 

 through a narrow tube which is lined with tiny 

 daggers pointing downward. When he has drunk 

 his fill and would depart, he finds the passageway 

 closed by the impassable row of sharp points. In 

 captivity he must remain until the flower is ready 

 for his services. Finally the barrier dries up and, 

 shrinking, gives the deluded wanderer a chance to 

 escape. 



Another Aristolochia (A. macrophylla) , com- 

 monly known as the pipe vine or Dutchman's pipe, 



