308 PINGUICULA VULGARIS. (Cuar. XVI. 
to the digestion and disintegration of their muscles. The glands in 
contact with a small fly continued to secrete for four days, and then 
became almost dry. A narrow strip of this leaf was cut off, and the 
glands of the longer and shorter hairs, which had lain in contact for 
the four days with the fly, and those which had not touched it, were 
compared under the microscope, and presented a wonderful contrast. 
Those which had been in contact were filled with brownish granular 
matter, the others with homogeneous fluid. There could therefore be 
no doubt that the former had absorbed matter from the fly. 
(2) Small bits of roast meat, placed on a leaf, always caused much 
acid secretion in the course of a few hours—in one case within 40 m. 
When thin fibres of meat were laid along the margin of a leaf which 
stood almost upright, the secretion ran down to the ground. Angular 
bits of meat, placed in little pools of the secretion near the margin, 
were in the course of two or three days much reduced in size, rounded, 
rendered more or less colourless and transparent, and so much softened 
that they fell to pieces on the slightest touch. In only one instance 
was a very minute particle completely dissolved, and this occurred 
within 48 hrs. When only a small amount of secretion was excited, 
this was generally absorbed in from 24 hrs. to 48 hrs.; the glands 
being left dry. But when the supply of secretion was copious, round 
either a single rather large bit of meat, or round several small bits, 
the glands. did not become dry until six or seven days had elapsed. 
The most rapid case of absorption observed by me was when a small 
drop of an infusion of raw meat was placed on a leaf, for the glands 
here became almost dry in3 hrs. 20 m. Glands excited by small 
particles of meat, and which have quickly absorbed their own secretion, 
begin to secrete again in the course of seven or eight days from the 
time when the meat was given them. 
(3) Three minute cubes of tough cartilage from the leg-bone of a 
sheep were laid on a leaf. After 10 hrs, 30 m. some acid secretion was 
excited, but the cartilage appeared little or not at all affected. After 
24 hrs. the cubes were rounded and much reduced in size; after 32 hrs. 
they were softened to the centre, and one was quite liquefied; after 
35 hrs. mere traces of solid cartilage were left; and after 48 hrs. a 
trace could still be seen through a lens in only one of the three. After 
82 hrs. not only were all three cubes completely liquefied, but all the 
secretion was absorbed and the glands left dry. 
(4) Small cubes of albumen were placed on a leaf; in 8 hrs. feebly 
acid secretion extended to a distance of nearly 7, of an inch round 
them, and the angles of one cube were rounded. After 24 hrs. the 
angles of all the cubes were rounded, and they were rendered through- 
out very tender; after 80 hrs. the secretion began to decrease, and 
after 48 hrs. the glands were left dry; but very minute bits of albumen 
were still left undissolved. 
(5) Smaller cubes of albumen (about 4, or zy of an inch, *508 
or ‘423 mm.) were placed on four glands; after 18 hrs. one cube was 
completely dissolved, the others being much reduced in size, softened 
