Sense-Life and Sensibility 



they will turn away from poisonous substances. Not 

 only so, but they are attracted by small quantities of 

 certain salts, and are repulsed and grow away from 

 large amounts of the same substances. When in excess 

 even nutritive solutions are or might be poisonous. 17 



But strange as are these fitting reactions of vegetable 

 protoplasm, those exhibited by such plants as the 

 sundew, pitcher-plant, and the like are infinitely more 

 remarkable. 



It is unnecessary to describe how the tentacles of the 

 sundew turn and pin down the unfortunate insect which 

 has alighted upon it, for this has often been done. But 

 one should mention here that small grains of sand, bits 

 of wood, paper, or glass particles produce no secretion 

 of the glands. Small pieces of meat, egg-albumin, &c., 

 on the other hand, are soon surrounded with secretion, 

 and will be absorbed in some fifteen minutes. The liquid 

 in a Nepenthes pitcher is of great importance, for a fly 

 laid in a pitcher that has been emptied of its water is 

 very slightly affected even after four hours. But if you 

 dip the insect in the fluid of another pitcher and then 

 lay it in the dry one, there is an abundant flow of 

 secretion, and nothing will be left of the fly except 

 insoluble chitin in six to eight hours' time. 18 



These facts are surely very remarkable. The reader 

 must be left to draw his own conclusions as to whether 

 it is fair to say that plants are senseless automata, mere 

 complex mechanisms unable to enjoy the sunshine and 

 the sweetness of life. 



They are certainly for the most part not guilty of 

 senseless and useless cruelty, except perhaps certain 

 Asclepiads, and notably Araujia sericifera, which grows 

 at Buenos Ayres. 



This evil plant has a sweet vanilla perfume which 

 attracts numbers of butterflies. But when they attempt 



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