SOME REMARKABLE WAYS OF PLANTS 165 



California, and other tropical parts. Beautifully shaped 

 hanging pitchers grow on them, partly filled with 

 liquid. These, too, act as traps. Creatures fall, or fly, 

 or creep into them, to be 

 caught and held fast until they 

 die, when again they are 

 slowly digested. 



One of the commonest and 



best-known of such plants is 



the Sundew, 1 widely spread 



through North Europe and 

 ; North America. It grows 

 \ usually on exposed moor- 

 I lands, and also in some very 

 ( cold regions. 



Here it is the leaves which 

 r act as traps. Each leaf lies 



flat on the ground, in shape 

 : slightly " trough-like " and 



very sticky. Any small insect 



alighting there is caught and 



held firmly, despite all its 



struggles. 



At the first touch of a 



victim the leaf begins to pour 



out juices from the little 



glands, which have power to PITCHKR-PLANT. 



manufacture such juices, and 



. its edges turn slowly and ruthlessly up, curling over so 



as to imprison the unfortunate prey once more to 



1 Drosera, 



