52 ' PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



is poured on to it. It has been estimated that there are as 

 many as half a million glands in one plant. The sundew leaf 

 is even more remarkable. It is covered with sensitive glandular 

 hairs, which, as soon as the insect or a piece of nitrogenous food 

 such as flesh or cheese comes into contact with any of them, 

 bend over and close upon it. Digestive juice is then poured on 

 to the food, and the tentacles remain closed until absorption is 

 complete, which may be several days. There are 200 tentacles 

 on each leaf, and they are able to move through an angle of 90*' 

 wheri excited, in ten minutes, while in one to three hours they 

 have closed entirely over their prey. If small stones or other 

 objects containing no nutriment are put on to butterwort or 

 sundew leaves, no notice is taken of them. If two bits of meat 

 are put on to a sundew leaf the tentacles divide into two groups, 

 half closing over one piece and half over the other. If a large 

 insect becomes caught on a leaf, the leaf becomes hollow like 

 a hand, so that it may enclose it more easily, and if it is very 

 large two or three leaves may co-operate; Dr. Leeson described 

 the structure of the tentacle by means of a drawing. He thought 

 it might give some indication of the origin of nerves, and showed 

 how the impulse acted on the purple liquid in the cells surround- 

 ing the central parts, causing aggregation of the cell-contents. 



Dr. Rendie described an Australian species of climbing sundew, 

 in which some of the leaves responded to the touch of twigs, etc., 

 so as to enable the plant to climb, v/hile others acted as insect 

 traps. 



A vote of thanks was accorded to Dr. Leeson for his address. 



At the 54:0th Ordinary Meeting of the Club, held on February 

 11th, the President, Dr. A. B. Rendie, M.A., F.R.S., in the chair, 

 the minutes of the meeting held on January 14th were read 

 an-d confirmed. 



Messrs. Fredk. B. Gibbard, Robt. Edward Handford, Chas. 

 Fredk. Brightman Shillito and Geo. Abraham ToUey were 

 balloted for and duly elected members of the Club ; two nomina- 

 tions were read for the first time. 



The Secretary announced that there would be a Gossip Meeting 

 on February 25th, and that at the next ordinary meeting on 

 March 1 1th there would be a paper by Mr. Geo. West, of Dundee, 



