Food from the Soil 123 



A large blue-bottle will be seized at once, and squeezed 

 so tight that escape is impossible. But a meal of this sort 

 seems to be very satisfying, for in one instance the leaf 

 did not open again for twenty-four days, and when it did, 

 though the dry remains of the fly were removed, no 

 attempt to catch more was made until several days later. 

 There was a similar result in the case of caterpillars, raw 

 meat, and spiders. All are digested by means of an acid 

 which the leaf pours out upon them. 



It is a curious fact, that the dropping of water upon 

 the trap does not make it close, unless the sun is shining, 

 or has been shining immediately before, upon it. In this 

 case, the plant, not being prepared for rain, seems to be 

 for the moment deceived. Rain usually comes when the 

 sky is cloudy, and then the leaf, knowing apparently what 

 to expect, takes no notice. If it closed for rain, it would 

 of course often lose a meal. 



One of these plants, having six leaves, has been known 

 to comfortably digest twelve flies, or twelve good-sized 

 spiders, at once, one for each lobe, after which it was 

 satisfied for some time. 



The bladderwort has been seen to catch newly hatched 

 roach and also worms, by means of its bladders; and the 

 butterwort catches its victims by means of the sticky 

 glands with which its leaves are thickly covered, rolling 

 up its edges over them, and undoubtedly eating them. 



The various pitcher-plants also feed upon the large 

 number of insects drowned in their receptacles, which are 

 from two or three to as much as eighteen inches deep, and 

 always contain water. 



But whether or no many plants are actual flesh-eaters, 

 it is certain that they all need nitrogen; and other food, 



