PLANTS OF THE MOORLAND "'ibf 



razor and see under the microscope that the glistening 

 appearance is due to numerous toadstool-like glands 

 making a clear digestive fluid. The inturning of the 

 margins of the fleshy leaves also helps in the capture 

 of the insects, which are first digested and then 

 absorbed. It is worth while taking a leaf of the 

 Butterwort and putting it into a test-tube with a little 

 milk, for then one sees that the milk curdles, which is 

 due to an acid accompanying the digestive juice. 

 When we remember that the digestive juice in our 

 own stomach is also accompanied by an acid we get 

 from this common peat-bog plant a glimpse of the 

 deep sameness of the processes of life in all kinds of 

 living creatures. It is interesting to know that the 

 shepherds sometimes press the leaves of the Butter- 

 wort against the udders of the Sheep when these be- 

 come sore; we suppose that the digestive juice on the 

 cool leaves will help to clear away microbes. We 

 must not leave the Butterwort without recognising 

 the great beauty of its violet flower, which is seen in 

 late summer. 



More attractive than the Butterwort are the Sun- 

 dews (Droserd), with their beautiful red leaves spread 

 out on a cushion of Bog Moss. Each leaf is shaped 

 like a flat spoon with a long handle, and round the 

 margin of the broadened end there are delicate ten- 

 tacles, the tips of which bear glistening drops of what 

 looks like dew. For this reason in many languages 

 this interesting plant is called Sundew. The drops 

 are not of dew, however, but of digestive juice, for 

 the Sundew, like the Butterwort, is carnivorous. It 

 is interesting to see a small insect caught on a 

 tentacle, to watch the touched tentacle bending in on 



