THE YICTOPaAN NATURALIST 



The researches of Darwin a nd CohTi show that the object of 

 these bladders is to entrap prey. Both the?e naturalists and 

 other observers found minute crustaceans and insects within the 

 bladder, and they were even seen enterinj^ and afterwards 

 swimming about inside, and subsequently decomposing. Time 

 will not aJJ^g&r-of nie giving more than a very brief statement of 

 the results of Dai- win' s observations and experiments. His 

 conclusions are tlae followin2— 



1. Th e valves are not irritably b^j; yield f»w gr^ntjtoiwyressure, 

 and close from their elasticity. 



2. The bladders have no digestive power, but absorb through 

 the quadrifid processes decaying animal matter. 



3. It is not certain wliat is the inducement to the minute 

 animals to enter. 



Dr. Ralph has kindly directed my attention to an article by Prn- 

 tes3or Moselv in a recent number of Natwe. de-cribiug how 

 Utricularia actually prey on Vertebrates, namely, young fishes, thus 

 completeh^ turning the tables on herbivorous animals . As the fact 

 is so curious and yet so completely proved, I will read an extract 

 rom the paper. 



I cannot say that I have certainly seen in the utricles examined, 

 remains of insects ; but I have seen foreign matter inside the 

 bladder, which did not resemble soil, and v/liicli in all probability 

 was the remains of the harder part of some minute insect or 

 crustacean. 



Of course the actual process of catching could only be seen in the 

 case of the aquatic species of Utricularia. 



CLASS II.— BIRDS. Part 2. 

 By T. a. Forbes-Leith and A. J. Campbell. 



202. Orthonyx spinicaudus. Temm. Spine-tailed Orthonyx. 



203. Sittella chrysoptera. Lath. Orange-winged Sittella. 



204. „ pileata. Gld. Black-capped Sittella. 



205. Cacomantis pallida. Lath. Pallid or Unadorned Cuckoo. 



206. „ flabelliformis. Lath. Fan-tailed ,, 



207. ,, insperatus. Gld. Brush „ 



208. Mesocalius palliolatus. Lath. Black-eared „ 



