NOTES. in 



apparently cruel occupation can be considered enter- 

 taining, in watching the capture of flies by the Azaleas. 

 When 1 first brought the flowers home, many small in- 

 sects, as winged ants, were entrapped amidst the hairs. 

 These have remained alive several days, still vainly 

 struggling for freedom. As the house-flies are abundant 

 in my room, it occurred to me that I might extirpate the 

 pests, and at the same time learn something of the process 

 of insect-catching. I have not noticed that the powerful 

 fragrance of the blossoms attracts the house-fly, although I 

 have no doubt that it does the smaller insects. It seemed 

 to be accidental when the house-flies were captured. I ex- 

 posed a number of buds and fully-opened blossoms on a 

 sunny window-sill thronged with flies. It was not many 

 minutes before I had several captives. A mere touch 

 of a fly's leg to the glutinous hairs was sufficient for his 

 detention. A struggle only made matters worse, as other 

 legs were by this means brought in contact with the 

 glands. These emit long glairy threads, which fasten to 

 the hairs of the flies' legs. They may be drawn out to a 

 great length and tenuity, still retaining their strength. If 

 two buds are pressed together, and then drawn apart, 

 innumerable threads may be seen to bind them. There 

 is a complete network of them between the various 

 glands. They will confine the strongest fly; he is at 

 once held like Gulliver among the Lilliputians. Under 

 the microscope the legs of the fly are seen to be covered 

 with the secretion, which is perfectly white and trans- 

 parent. In one attempt to escape, a house-fly lifted 

 a flower bodily from the window-sill, perhaps a quarter 

 of an inch, but at once sank back exhausted amidst 

 the hairs. One, after long efforts, escaped, but seemed 



