On the Activity of the Glands of 
Byblis gigantea, Lindl. 
BY: 
A. NINIAN BRUCE, B.Sc. 
Plants of Byblis gigantea grown in a plant-house of the 
Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, at a temperature of between 
50° and 60° C. were the subject of the following experiments 
which were carried out in the plant-house. 
A large plant of Bydlis gigantea was placed on the same 
stand as several plants of Drosera (of various species) and 
Drosophyllum lusitanicum. While the plants of these genera 
had caught respectively an almost equal number of flies, in no 
case large, there being only, in the case of Drosophyllum 
lusitanicum, five or six flies on a leaf about 15 cm. long, the 
plant of Bydlis gigantea was smothered with flies, although it 
was smaller than the adjacent plant of Drosophyllum lusttanicum. 
On a single leaf of a plant of Byblis gigantea about 17 cm. long, 
I once counted remains of thirty-one flies. On young vigorously 
growing plants, where the leaves were only about 2°5 cm. long, 
I repeatedly counted from eight to twelve flies; and, on a small 
plant, the main stem of which was about 12 cm. long, and on 
which all the stalked glands were actively secreting, I counted 
remains of fifty-six flies. This shows what a very strong 
attraction the secretion from the stalked glands of Bydsis 
Sigantea has for flies, an attraction which seems to be greater 
than that in the secretion from the tentacles of Drosera and 
other members of the Droseraceze hitherto described. 
The glands of Byblis gigantea, which have been fully 
(Notes, R.B.G., Edin., No, XVI, 195.1 
