Chap. XVIII.] CONCLUSION. 867 



by their glandular hairs; and those will profit by that 

 brought to them by the rain. There is a second class of 

 plants which, as we have just seen, cannot digest, but absorb 

 the products of the decay of the animals which they capture, 

 namely, Utricularia * and its close allies; and from the ex- 

 cellent observations of Dr. Mellichamp and Dr. Canby, there 

 can scarcely be a doubt that Sarracenia and Darlingtonia 

 may be added to this class, though the fact can hardly be 

 considered as yet fully proved. 



[A. Schimper, in an interesting paper,' gives evidence 

 that the products of decay are absorbed by the pitchers of 

 Sarracenia purpurea.'" In the epidermic cells at the base of 

 the pitcher the changes produced by the presence of decaying 

 animal matter are strikingly evident, and bear a strong 

 resemblance to the process of aggregation as seen in Drosera. 

 The cell-sap is rich in tannin (as in Drosera), and when 

 aggregation takes place the single vacuole containing the 

 cell-sap is replaced by several highly refractive drops. The 

 process resembles in fact the division and concentration of 

 the vacuole as described by De Vries (see footnote, p. 35). 

 Schimper supposes that the cell-sap gives up to the proto- 

 plasm part of its water, and he describes the concentrated, 

 tannin-containing drops which are thus formed, as lying in 

 the swollen watery protoplasm which now takes up more 

 space than in the unstimulated condition. Schimper's 

 paper also contains a good general description of the pitchers 

 of Sarracenia. F. D.] 



There is a third class of plants which feed, as is now 

 generally admitted, on the products of the decay of vegetable 



[The late Professor de Bary 21)0, Burnett (as Mr. Thiselton 

 showed me at Strasburg two Dyer points out to me) wrote as 

 dried specimens of Vtriculnria follows: " Sarracenlse, If kept 

 (vulgariat) which clearly demon- from the access of flies, are said 

 strated the advantage which tnis to be less flourishing In their 

 plant derives from captured In- growth than when each pouch Is 

 sects. One had been grown In truly a sarcophagus. According 

 water swarming with minute to F'ulvre (* Comptes rendus,' vol. 

 crustaceans, the other in clean Ixxxill. 1870, p. lirt't) both Nepen- 

 water; the difference In size be- thes and Sarracenia flourish oet- 

 tween the " fed " and the ter when their pitchers are sup- 

 ** starved " plants was most piled with water, and Wiesner 

 striking. F. I).] states that Sarracenia can be kept 



[" Notlzen Uber Insectfres- fresh for months without water- 

 sende Pflnnzen," ' Bot. Zeltung,' Ing the roots if the pitchers are 

 1882. p. 22.5.1 well supplied. (' Klemente der 



' [In the 'Quarterly Journal of Anat. iind Fhys. <ler Pflanzen,' 

 Sdence ajii Art,' 1829, vol. 11, p. 2nd Edit. 1885, p. 226). F. D.] 



