84 DROSBRA ROTIJNDIPOLIA. [Ciiap. VI. 



sue gastrique, pourvu qu'on n'attend pas jiuqu'fi. la liquefaction 

 complete du muscle." 



After an interval of 72 hrs., from the time when the five 

 cubes were placed on the leaves, I opened the four remaining 

 ones. On two nothing could be seen but little masses of 

 transparent viscid fluid; but when these were examined 

 under a high power, fat-globules, bits of fibro-elastic tissue, 

 and some few parallelograms of sarcous matter, could be 

 distinguished, but not a vestige of transverse striaj. On the 

 other two leaves there were minute spheres of only par- 

 tially digested meat in the centre of much transparent fluid. 



Fibrin. Bits of fibrin were left in water during four 

 days, whilst the following experiments were tried, but they 

 were not in the least acted on. The fibrin which I first used 

 was not pure, and included dark particles: it had either not 

 been well prepared or had subsequently undergone some 

 change. Thin portions, about -^ of an inch square, were 

 placed on several leaves, and though the fibrin was soon 

 liquefied, the whole was never dissolved. Smaller particles 

 were then placed on four leaves, and minute drops of hy- 

 drochloric acid (one part to 437 of water) were added; this 

 seemed to hasten the process of digestion, for on one leaf all 

 was liquefied and absorbed after 20 hrs.; but on the three 

 other leaves some undissolved residue was left after 48 hrs. 

 It is remarkable that in all the above and following exi)eri- 

 ments, as well as when much larger bits of fibrin were used, 

 the leaves were very little excited; and it was sometimes 

 necessary to add a little saliva to induce complete inflection. 

 The leaves, moreover, began \o re-expand after only 48 hrs., 

 whereas they would have remained inflected for a much 

 longer time had insects, meat, cartilage, albumen, &c., been 

 placed on them. 



I then tried some pure white fibrin, sent me by Dr. Bur- 

 don Sanderson. 



FjTperiment 1. Two particlefl, bnrely Vn of an inch (1.27 mm.) 

 nquarp, were placed on opposite sides of the same leaf. One of 

 these did not excite the surrounding tentacles, and the gland on 

 which it rested soon dried. The other particle cause<l a few of the 

 short adjoining tentacles to be inflected, the more distant ones not 

 bein); affected. After 24 hrs. both were almost, and after 72 hrs. 

 completely, dissolved. 



