ar. 56.] C. DARWIN TO A. GRAY. 55T 
the clear fluid of the glands, charged now with some 
animal matter. 
In transplanting some Drosera into a pan with wet 
moss, the older leaves may not work well; but the new 
ones developed soon will do better. Pray experiment 
upon this and Dionwa. I wonder if there ever were 
series of intermediate states between the inefficient 
Drosera and the expert Dionwa. . . . 
August 21. 
. L inelose half a letter which came from Darwin 
this morning. I hope you will go on with work on 
Dionza. .. . 
C. DARWIN TO A. GRAY. 
(Half of letter referred to above.) 
Down, Bromtey, Kent, August 8. 
My pear Gray,—TI have been glad to see Mr. 
Canby’s interesting letter on Dionza, and I thank you 
for sending it; but unfortunately the facts are not new 
to me. Several years ago I observed the secretion of 
the “gastrie juices” and the close adhesion of the 
two sides of the leaf when a fly was caught. I keep 
my notes in such an odd fashion that it would take me 
some time to find them. I am almost sure I ascer- 
tained the acid reaction of the secretion and its anti- 
septic power, but I cannot remember whether in this, 
or in analogous cases, I found its subsequent reabsorp- 
tion. This letter fires me up to complete and publish 
on Drosera, Dionza, ete., but when I shall get time 
T know not. Iam w ovking like a slave to complete 
my book. 
