Chap. VI.] DIGESTION. 87 



glands were touched with saliva, which caused prompt in- 

 flection. Two of the leaves began to re-expand after three 

 days, and the third on the fifth day. The fluid residue left 

 on their discs was now examined, and consisted in one case 

 of perfectly transparent, viscid matter; in the other two 

 cases, it contained some elastic tissue and apparently rem- 

 nants of half digested areolar tissue. 



Fihro-Cartilage (from between the vertebra) of the tail of 

 a sheep). Moderately sized and small bits (the latter about 

 ^ of an inch) were placed on nine leaves. Some of these 

 were well and some very little inflected. In the latter case 

 the bits were dragged over the discs, so that they were well 

 bedaubed with the secretion, and many glands thus irritated. 

 All the leaves re-expanded after only two days; so that they 

 were but little excited by this substance. The bits were not 

 liquefied, but were certainly in an altered condition, being 

 swollen, much more transparent, and so tender as to disin- 

 tegrate very easily. My son Francis prepared some artificial 

 gastric juice, which was proved efficient by quickly dissolv- 

 ing fibrin, and suspended portions of the fibro-cartilage in 

 it. These swelled and became hyaline, exactly like those 

 exi)osed to the secretion of Drosera, but were not dissolved. 

 This result surprised me much, as two physiologists were of 

 opinion that fibro-cartilage would be easily digested by gas- 

 tric juice. I therefore asked Dr. Klein to examine the 

 specimens; and he reports the two which had been , sub- 

 jected to artificial gastric juice were " in that state of 

 digestion in which we find connective tissue when treated 

 with an acid, viz. swollen, more or less hyaline, the fibrillar 

 bundles having become homogeneous and lost their fibrillar 

 structure." In the specimens which had been left on the 

 leaves of Drosera, until they re-expanded, " parts were al- 

 tered, though only slightly so, in the same manner as those 

 subjected to the gastric juice, as they had become more trans- 

 parent, almost hyaline, with the fibrillation of the bundles 

 indistinct." Fibro-cartilage is therefore acted on in nearly 

 the same manner by gastric juice and by the secretion of 

 Drosera. 



Bone. Small smooth bits of the dried hyoidal bone of a 

 fowl moistened with saliva were placed on two leaves, and a 

 similarly moistened splinter of an extremely hard, broiled 



