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the centre of which a process burrows its way in, and not 

 only forms a means of attachment, but a permanent means 

 of sucking nutritious juices. The largest species is Black 

 Cassytha, which is rather coarse and bears a black berry. 

 It does not occur in the south. Velvety Cassytha is the 

 commonest. Very often found in Buloke; sometimes on 

 other shrubs it forms a dense mass and has a round green 

 berry covered with delicate microscopic hairs. Smooth 

 Cassytha is more slender and spreading. It grows on 

 small shrubs iu heathy places, and bears a small oblong 

 reddish berry. 



The flowers are minute and few, close together. Each 

 has six small perianth segments in two series of three 

 each; twelve little stamens also in two series. Some of 

 them are not perfect, but where they are the anthers are 

 interesting objects. Instead of opening in the ways of 

 anthers we have already described, they do so by a little 

 valve which opens below and curves upwards. This is a 

 condition found in all Laurels. Dodder, which is such a 

 pest in fields of Lucerne, has a similar habit to Cassytha, 

 but it belongs to quite a different group. The structure of 

 its flower indicates it to be a degenerate member of the 

 Convolvulus family. 



The carnivorous habit of some plants is always a marvel 

 to the observer; it seems such a great departure from what 

 we figure to ourselves as proper behaviour. Yet they are 

 much more common than is generally supposed. As they 

 can only capture small beings, they are generally called 

 insectivorous plants, which is not strictly correct, for other 

 animals besides insects often fall a prey to them. 



We have about six species of Sundew or Drosera, which 

 are all noticeable for having leaves adorned with many 

 hair-like structures, at the tip of each of which is a dew- 

 like drop of sticky fluid. This contains a ferment very 

 like that contained in the gastric juice of animals,' and haa 

 the power of dissolving flesh. If a small fly or an ant 

 finds its way on to a Sundew leaf in good health, the hair- 

 like structures bend towards it till their fluids cover its 

 body. This, from its viscidity, impairs movement, and 

 prevents escape. The muscles are now slowly dissolved and 

 absorbed into the tissue of the leaf, the hard skeleton 

 remaining behind. The same act is induced by placing a 

 minute piece of white of egg or meat upon the leaf. It is 

 further singular that these tenacles have the power of dis- 

 criminating between flesh-containing and other substances. 

 If a useless bit of material is placed upon the leaf they 



