178 DROSERA ROTUNDIPOLIA. [Chap. IX. 



ner; but they never reached the centre. After 22 hrs. they fully 

 re-expanded, and on meat being placed on their glands, or wlien 

 roughly touched by a needle, they promptly became inflected; so 

 that these leaves had not been in the least injured. 



Another plant was placed under the same small bell-glass with 

 three drops of chloroform, and before two minutes had elapsed, the 

 tentacles began to curl inwards with rapid little jerks. The glass 

 was then removed, and in the course of two or three additional 

 minutes almost every tentacle reached the centre. On several 

 other occasions the vapour did not excite any movemnt of this 

 kind. 



There seems also to be great variability in the degree and man- 

 ner in which chloroform renders the glands insensible to the subse- 

 quent action of meat. In the plant last referred to, which had 

 been exposed for 2 m. to three drops of chloroform, some few ten- 

 tacles curved up only to a perpendicular position, and particles 

 of meat were placed on their glands; this caused them in 5 m. 

 to begin moving, but they moved so slowly that they did not reach 

 the centre until 1 hr. 30 m. had elapsed. Another plant was simi- 

 larly exposed, that is, for 2 m., to three drops of chloroform, and 

 on particles of meat being placed on the glands of several tentacles, 

 which had cur\-ed up into a perpendicular position, one of these 

 began to bend in 8 m., but afterwards moved very slowly; whilst 

 none of the other tentacles moved for the next 40 m. Nevertheless, 

 in 1 hr. 45 m. from the time when the bits of meat had been given, 

 all the tentacles reached the centre. In this case some slight anajs- 

 thetic effect apparently had been produced. On the following day 

 the plant had perfectly recovered. 



Another plant bearing two leaves was exposed for 2 m. under 

 the 19-oz. vessel to two drops of chloroform; it was then taken 

 out and examined; again exposed for 2 m. to two drops; taken 

 out, and re-exposed for 3 m. to three drops; so that altogether it 

 was exposed alternately to the air and during 7 m. to the vapour 

 of seven drops of chlorofonn. Bits of meat were now plaoetl on 

 thirteen glands on the two leaves. On one of these leaves, a single 

 tentacle first began moving in 40 m., and two others in 54 m. 

 On the second leaf some tentacles first moved in 1 hr. 11 m. 

 After 2 hrs. many tentacles on both leaves were inflected; but 

 none had reached the centre within this time. In this case there 

 could not be the least doubt that the chloroform had exerted an 

 anipsthctic influence on the leaves. 



On the other hand, another plant was exposc<l under the same 

 vessel for a much longer time, viz. 20 m., to twice as much chloro- 

 form. Bits of meat were then placed on the glands of many tenta- 

 cles, and all of them, with a single exception, reachefl the centre in 

 from 13 m. to 14 m. In this case, little or no anaesthetic effect had 

 been produced; and how to reconcile these discordant results I 

 know not. 



Vapour of Sulphuric Ether. A plant was exposed for 30 m. to 

 thirty minims of this ether in a vessel holding 19 oz. ; and bits of 

 raw meat were afterwards placed on many glands which had be- 



