444 THE UNIVERSE. 



The shock is so great that the whole plant seems to sink to 

 the earth ; the boughs and the leaves fall as if struck by 

 lightning. 



The disturbance caused by an insect is enough to agitate 

 the leaves of other plants. This is seen in several little 



199. Venus' Flytrap: Dioncea muscipula (Linnaeus). 



species which have become celebrated on account of their 

 extreme irritability. The most remarkable of these is the 

 Venus' Flytrap (Dioncea muscipula), the leaves of which 

 are so many insidious snares for insects, living traps in fact. 

 Their expanded end presents two little palettes, armed with 



