Chap. V.] EFFECTS OF ORGANIC FLUIDS. 69 



in some cases their blades, well inflected; but their powers 

 were somewhat impaired, for the rate of movement was de- 

 cidedly slower than when fresh leaves were treated with 

 these same nitrogenous fluids. This impairment, as well as 

 the insensibility of six of the leaves, may be attributed to 

 injury from exosmose, caused by the density of the fluids 

 placed on their discs. 



The results of a few other experiments with nitrogenous fluids 

 may be here conveniently given. Decoctions of some vegetables 

 known to be rich in nitrogen, were made, and these acted like animal 

 fluids. Thus, a few green peas were boiled for some time in distilled 

 water, and the moderately thick decoction thus made was allowed to 

 settle. Drops ofthe superincumbent fluid were placed on four leaves, 

 and when these were looked at after 16 hrs., the tentacles and blades 

 of all were found strongly inflected. I infer from a remark by Ger- 

 hardt * that legumin is present in peas " in combination with an 

 alkali, forming an incoagulable solution," and this would mingle 

 with boiling water. I may mention, in relation to the above and 

 following experiments, that according to Schiff * certain forms of al- 

 bumen exist which are not coagulated by boiling water, but are con- 

 verted into soluble peptones. 



On three occasions chopped cabbage leaves* were boiled in dis- 

 tilled water for 1 hr. or for IJ hr. ; and by decanting the decoction 

 after it had been allowed to rest, a pale dirty green fluid was ob- 

 tained. The usual-sized drops were placed on thirteen leaves. Their 

 tentacles and blades were inflected after 4 hrs. to a quite extraordi- 

 nary degree. Next day the protoplasm within, the cells of the ten- 

 tacles was found aggregated in the most strongly-marked manner. 

 I also touched the viscid secretion round the glands of several ten- 

 tacles with minute drops of the decoction on the head of a small pin, 

 and they became well inflectetl in a few minutes. The fluid proving 

 so powerful, one part was diluted with three of water, and drops 

 were placed on the discs of five leaves; and these next morning were 

 so much acted on that their blades were completely doubled over. 

 We thus see that a decoction of cabbage leaves is nearly or quite as 

 potent as an infusion of raw meat. 



About the same quantity of chopped cabbage leaves and of dis- 

 tilled water as in the last experiment, were kept in a vessel for 20 

 hrs. in a hot closet, but not heated to near the boiling point. Drops 

 of this infusion were placed on four leaves. One of these, after 2.3 

 hrs., was much inflected; a second slightly; a third had only the 

 submarginal tentacles inflected; and the fourth was not at all af- 



Watts' ' Diet, of Chemistry,' as were used bv me. contnln 2.1 



vol. ill. p. 568. per cent, of alniinilnous matter. 



* ' Lemons ur la Phys. de la and the outer leaves of mntiire 



Digestion.' torn. I. p. 370; torn. 11. pinnts 1.6 per cent. Watts' 



pp. l.'M, 160, on lepuniln. ' IHct. of Chemistry,' vol. 1. p. 



The leaves of yodug pinnts. 653. 

 before the heart is foriued, sucb 



