62 THE DOGSBANE. 



But we have one plant in our gardens, a native of North 

 America, than which none can be more cruelly destruc- 

 tive of animal life, the dogsbane (apocynum androsae- 

 mifolium), which is generally conducive to the death 

 of every fly that settles upon it. Allured by the honey 

 on the nectary of the expanded blossom, the instant the 

 trunk is protruded to feed on it, the filaments close, 

 and, catching the fly by the extremity of its proboscis, 

 detain the poor prisoner writhing in protracted struggles 

 till released by death, a death apparently occasioned by 

 exhaustion alone; the filaments then relax, and the 

 body falls to the ground. The plant will at times be 

 dusky from the numbers of imprisoned wretches. This 

 elastic action of the filaments may be conducive to the 

 fertilizing of the seed by scattering the pollen from the 

 anthers, as is the case with the berberry ; but we are not 

 sensible that the destruction of the creatures which 

 excite the action is in any way essential to the wants or 

 perfection of the plant, and our ignorance favors the 

 idea of a wanton cruelty in the herb ; but how little of 

 the causes and motives of action of created things do 

 we know ! and it must be unlimitable arrogance alone 

 that could question the wisdom of the mechanism of 

 him " that judgeth rightly ; " the operations of a simple 

 plant confound and humble us, and, like the hand-writing 

 on the wall, though seen by many, can be explained 

 but by ONE. 



The different manner in which vegetables exert their 

 organic powers to effect the destruction of insects, is 

 not perhaps unworthy of a brief notice ; some, as those 

 above mentioned, accomplish it by means of elastic or 

 irritable actions, adhesive substances, and so forth ; but 

 we have another plant in our green-houses, the glaucous 

 birthwort (aristol. glauca), that effects these purposes 

 without any of these means, but principally by confor- 

 mation. The whole internal surface of the tubular 

 flower is beset with minute strong spines, pointing 

 downwards ; these present no impediment to the de- 

 scent of the animal which may seek for the sweet liquor 

 lodged upon the nectarium at the base of the blossom, 

 nor is there any obstruction provided for its return by 



