FISHES TRAPPED BY BLADDERWORT 



So long ago as May 1884 the late Professor 

 Moseley, of Oxford, made known a curious dis- 

 covery by Mr G. E. Simms, of that city, who found 

 that the bladder traps of Utricularia vulgaris are 

 capable of catching newly-hatched fish and killing 

 them. Mr Simms had brought him for examination 

 a specimen of this aquatic plant in a glass vessel, in 

 which there were numerous young Roach recently 

 hatched from a mass of spawn lying at the bottom. 

 Several of these small fish were seen to be dead, 

 held fast in the grasp of the Bladderwort. Mr 

 Simms then supplied a fresh specimen of the plant 

 in a vessel with fresh young fish and spawn, and in 

 about six hours more than a dozen of the fish were 

 found to be entrapped. Most of them were caught 

 by the head, which was usually pushed as far into 

 the bladder as possible till the snout touched its 

 hinder wall. In that position the two black eyes of 

 the fish would show out conspicuously through the 

 sides of the bladder. Less frequently a specimen 

 was found to be caught by the tip of the snout. 

 Several, however, were caught by the tip of the 

 tail, which was more or less engulfed, and one was 

 observed to be held by the yolk-sac. In three or 

 four instances a fish had its head held by one 



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