THE ASCENDING SAP 



105 



their special favourites, and the wing of a fly or the leg of an ant will 

 meet with almost instantaneous recognition. 



Nearly allied to the Droseras is the dainty little Portuguese Sundew 

 (Drosophyllum lusitanicum) (fig. 135), which is also a true insect-eater, though 

 the glandular hairs distributed plentifully over its grass-like leaves are 

 not endowed with the motile power of the Droseras. In this respect it is 

 more akin to the Catchflies and London Pride, which catch insects by means 

 of the glandular hairs with which their stems are covered. This plant is 

 remarkable as having its habitat, not in marshy places, but on sandy shores 

 and dry rocks ; in which respect it resembles many of the Australian 

 Sundews, which grow and thrive in the most arid soil. The villagers in the 

 neighbourhood of Oporto hang the plant in their cottages, using it instead 

 of fly-paper. 



More wonderful 

 than either Droso- 

 phyllum and Drosera, 

 and belonging to the 

 same order (Drose- 

 racece), is Venus' 

 Fly-trap (Dioncea 

 muscipula), a native 

 of North Carolina 

 (fig. 132). Candour 

 compels us to state 

 that it bears no better 

 character than its 

 unnatural cousins, 

 unless, indeed, its 

 very proficiency in 

 crime may be looked 

 upon as a redeeming 

 feature. Its leaves 

 spread in a circle 

 round the crown of 

 the root, and either 

 lie flat upon the 

 ground or gently 

 elevate themselves 

 above the soil. They 

 consist of two very 

 distinct parts a pho ' 6y] 



stalk and a blade. FlG - 139 - COMMON BUTTEKWORT (Pinguicula vulgaris). 



The stalk is a flat A muc ^ larger species, common in the mountain districts of the North. Its 



leaves are two or three inches long, and the flowers violet on purple scapes. 



green, leafy expan- N. EUROPE, N. ASIA, N. AMERICA. 



