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with translucent spots, and a trail of nee- blade. All of these glands secrete a clear 

 tar which leads to the dangerous rim.. It sticky fluid which hangs to them in drops 

 has become further elaborated, however, like dew-drops, and since these dew- 

 in that the hood extends into a gaudy drops are not dispelled by the sun the 

 fish-like appendage, whose colors and plants have been called the sun-dews. If 

 flapping serve to attract the flying as well a small insect, in flying or creeping across 

 as the creeping insects. The pitcher, also, the plant, happens to touch one of the 

 instead of being straight, is spirally twist- sticky drops it becomes entangled, and 

 ed, and has a wing-like expansion which then there follows a curious scene. If the 

 serves as a guide in the spiral ascent to insect is small, the single bristle-like hair, 

 the rim, and leads the victim with defin- in whose sticky drop it has become entan- 

 iteness and certainty to the region of dan- gled, will begin to bend inwards and will 

 ger. The fish-tail appendage is also finally press the captured insect down up- 

 smeared with the nectar secretion, so that on the body of the leaf where the short 

 any flying insect lighting upon it is en- 'glandular hairs receive it. If the insect 

 ticed under the overshadowing arch and is strong enough, however, to escape 

 is almost sure of capture. from a single sticky drop, neighboring 



The most common pitcher plants of the hairs will bend toward the one which has 

 tropics are the Nepenthes, one of which Captured the insect, and by adding their 

 is shown in our illustration. It will be mite of strength and glue, succeed in de- 

 noticed that each leaf when fully formed taining it until they all bend inwards and 

 consists of three distinct regions, name- press it down upon the leaf. In some 

 ly, the leaf-like blade, which is continued cases the whole half of a leaf will roll in- 

 into a tendril which coils around a sup- wards in this attempt to secure an insect, 

 port, and the tendril in turn ends in a cu- In this position the captured insect is 

 riously-formed pitcher, which has a more gradually digested and its nutritive sub- 

 or less complete lid. These pitchers are stances absorbed. 



often mottled with bright colors, and as Perhaps the most famous and remark- 

 they swing at the ends of the tendrils they able of the fly-catching plants is the Ve- 

 seem to attract the attention of roving in- nus fly-trap, known only in swamps near 

 sects. Around the rim of the pitcher a Wilmington, North Carolina. This fly- 

 very definite row of glands may be ob- trap does not depend upon drowning the 

 served, which secrete the nectar to which insects, or upon sticking them fast, but 

 the insects are attracted. The arrange- upon its quickness of movement. Of 

 ments within the pitcher are such as have course this seems most wonderful in 

 been described for the ordinary pitcher plants, which are not ordinarily endowed 

 plant. These pitchers of Nepenthes are with powers of quick motion. Dionaea, 

 usually found containing insects, and for this is the name of the Venus fly-trap, 

 often very many of them, whose bodies has a cluster of small leaves rising from 

 are being slowly digested and the prod- the marshy ground, just as is the case 

 ucts absorbed by the plant. with pitcher plants and sun-dews. The 



Another group of carnivorous plants lower part of the leaf is like any ordinary 

 consists of the sun-dews which grow in blade, but above becomes pinched almost 

 swampy regions and are quite common in in two, and then suddenly flares out again 

 our sphagnum swamps. While the into a round blade-like expansion which 

 pitcher plants depend upon luring insects is constructed like a steel trap, the two 

 to their death by drowning, the sun-dews halves snapping together and the mar- 

 depend upon stickiness'. The leaves form ginal bristles interlocking like the teeth 

 small rosettes on the ground and are of of a trap. A few sensitive hair-like feel- 

 various shapes. In one of the most com- ers are developed on the leaf surface, and 

 mon forms the leaf blade is round, and when one of these is touched by a small 

 the margin is beset by prominent bris- flying or hovering insect, the trap snaps 

 tie-like hairs, each with a globular gland shut and the insect is caught, 

 at its tip. Shorter gland-bearing hairs are Many interesting experiments have 

 scattered over the inner surface of the been performed with Dionaea to show its 



