116 DROSERA ROTUNDIFOLIA. Cuar. VL 
a non-albuminous, substance; and the absorption of a 
very small quantity of the former would excite the 
leaves, and yet not decrease the casein to a percep- 
tible degree. Schiff asserts*—and this is an import- 
ant fact for us—that “la caséine purifiée des chimistes 
est un corps presque complétement inattaquable par 
le suc gastrique.” So that here we have another 
point of accordance between the secretion of Drosera 
and gastric juice, as both act so differently on the 
fresh casein of milk, and on that prepared by 
chemists. 
A few trials were made with cheese; cubes of ; of 
an inch (1°27 mm.) were placed on four leayes, and 
these after one or two days became well inflected, 
their glands pouring forth much acid secretion. 
After five’ days they began to re-expand, but one 
died, and some of the glands on the other leaves were 
injured. Judging by the eye, the softened and sub- 
sided masses of cheese, left on the discs, were very 
little or not at all reduced in bulk. We may, how- 
ever, infer from the time during which the tentacles 
remained inflected,—from the changed colour of some 
of the glands,—and from the injury done to others, 
that matter had been absorbed from the cheese. 
Legumin.—I did not procure this substance in a 
separate state; but there can hardly be a doubt that 
it would be easily digested, judging from the powerful 
effect produced by drops of a decoction of green 
peas, as described in the last chapter. Thin slices of 
a dried pea, after being soaked in water, were placed 
on two leaves; these became somewhat inflected in 
the course of a single hour, and most strongly so in 
21 hrs. They re-expanded after three or four days 
* ‘Legons,’ &. tom. ii. p. 153. 
