226 DROSERA ANGLICA. [Chap. XII. 



CHAPTER XII. 



ON THE STRUCTURE AND MOVEMENTS OP SOME OTHER SPECIES 

 OF DROSERA. 



Drosera anglica Dronera intermedia Drosera capensia Drosera gpathtdata 

 Drosera Jilifurmin Drosera binata Cuucluding remarks. 



I EXAMINED six Other species of Drosera, some of them in- 

 habitants of distant countries, chiefly for the sake of ascer- 

 taining whether they caught insects. This seemed the more 

 necessary as the leaves of some of the species differ to an 

 extraordinary degree in shape from the rounded ones of 

 Drosera rotundifolia. In functional powers, however, they 

 differ very little. 



Drosera anglica (Hudson).' The leaves of this species, which 

 was sent to me from Ireland, are much elongated, and gradually 

 widen from the footstalk to the bluntly pointed apex. They stand 

 almost erect, and their blades sometimes exceed 1 inch in length, 

 whilst their breadth is only the | of an inch. The glands of all 

 the tentacles have the same structure, so that the extreme mar- 

 ginal ones do not differ from the others, as in the case of Drosera 

 rotundifolia. When they are irritated by being roughly touched, 

 or by the pressure of minute inorganic particles, or by contact with 

 animal matter, or by the absorption of carbonate of ammonia, the 

 tentacles become inflected; the basal portion being the chief seat 

 of movement. Cutting or pricking the blade of the leaf did not ex- 

 cite any movement. They frequently captured insects, and the 

 glands of the inflected tentacles pour forth much acid secretion. 

 Bits of roast meat were placed on some glands, and the tentacles 

 began to move in 1 m. or 1 m. 30 s. ; and in 1 hr. 10 m. reached 

 the centre. Two bits of boiled cork, one of boiled thread, and two 

 of coal-cinders taken from the fire, were placed, by the aid of an 

 instrument which had been immersed in boiling water, on five 

 glands; these superfluous precautions hnving been taken on ac- 

 count of M. Ziegler's statements. One of the particles of cinder 

 caused some inflection in 8 hrs. 45 m., as did after 23 hrs. the other 

 particle of cinder, the bit of thread, and both bits of cork. Three 



' Mrw. Treat has given nn ex- Ih n synonym In pnrt of Dronrra 



cellent account In ' The Anioricnn anglicn). of Droacra rotundifolia 



NntumllHt,' DecembPf. 1873. p. uud fiUformit. 

 706, of Drotcra longifoUa (which 



