THE FEELINGS OF PLANTS m 



is worth while to examine the foliage rather closely. 

 The leaves are seen to be covered with clubbed 

 hairs, at the ends of which are produced sticky 

 glands. 



It is strange that the foliage of the Sundew 

 seems to have a peculiar fascination for flies and 

 other insects, albeit that these little creatures, as 

 a rule, pay a heavy penalty for their curiosity. 

 So sensitive are the hairs on the Sundew leaf 

 that the struggles of a fly held by the sticky 

 secretion induce the processes to close round the 

 unfortunate victim, so that escape is quite out 

 of the question. At the same time these move- 

 ments are accompanied by an excretion of a 

 digestive fluid which aids the leaf to assimilate 

 the nitrogenous matter in the body of the fly. 

 Another curious feature in the behaviour of the 

 tentacles of the Sundew leaf is that they entirely 

 fail to respond in any way to drops of water 

 which are allowed to fall on the foliage. As well, 

 too, it is remarkable to note that small stones 

 do not stimulate the leaf to any great degree of 

 activity. 



Even more remarkable than the Sundew is 

 the Venus Fly-trap (Dioncea muscipula), a little 

 plant which is a native of the swamps of Caro- 

 lina. The leaves of this plant, which mostly lie 



