336 UTRICULARIA NEGLECTA. [Chap. XVIL 



Two bisected bladders were irrigated with a solution of one 

 part of urea to 218 of water; but when this solution wa.s em- 

 ployed, I forgot that it had been kept for some days in a warm 

 room, and had therefore probably generated ammonia; anyhow, 

 the quadrifids Avere affected after 21 hrs. as if a solution of car- 

 bonate of ammonia had been used; for the primordial utricle was 

 thickened in specks, which seemed to graduate into separate gran- 

 ules. Three bisected bladders were also irrigated with a fresh 

 solution of urea of the same strength; their quadritids after 21 hrs. 

 were much less affected than in the former case; nevertheletw, the 

 primonlial utricle in some of the arms was a little shrunk, and 

 m others was divided into two almost symmetrical sacks. 



Three bisected bladders, after being examined, were irrigated 

 with a j)utrid and very offensive infusion of raw meat. After 23 

 hrs. the quadrilids and bifids in all three specimens abounded with 

 minute, hyaline, spherical masses; and some of their primordial 

 utricles were a little shrunk. Three bisected bladders were also 

 irrigated with a fresh infusion of raw meat; and to my surprise 

 the quadrifids in one of them appeared, after 23 hrs., finely granu- 

 lar, with their primordial utricles somewhat shrunk and marked 

 jvith thickened yellowish specks; so that they had been acted 

 on in the same manner as by the putrid infusion or by the salts 

 of ammonia. In the second bladder some of the quadrifids were 

 similarly acted on, though to a very slight degree; whilst the 

 third bladder was not at all affected. 



From these experiments it is clear that the quadrifid and 

 bifid processes have the power of absorbing carbonate and 

 nitrate of ammonia, and matter of some kind from a putrid 

 infusion of meat. Salts of ammonia were selected for trial, 

 as they are known to be rapidly generated by the decay of 

 animal matter in the presence of air and water, and would 

 therefore be generated within the bladders containing cap- 

 tured prey. The effect produced on the processes by these 

 salts and by a putrid infusion of raw meat differs from that 

 produced by the decay of the naturally captured animals 

 only in the aggregated masses of protoplasm being in the 

 latter case of lasgor size; but it is probable that the fine 

 granules and small hyaline spheres produced by the solutions 

 would coalesce into larger masses, with time enough allowed. 

 We have seen with Drosera that the first effect of a weak 

 solution of carbonate of ammonia on the cell-contents is the 

 production of the finest granules, which afterwards aggregate 

 into larger, more or less rounded, ma.<ses; and that the gran- 

 ules in the layer of protoplasm which flows round the walls 

 ultimately coalesce with these masses. Changes of this nature 



