92 DROSERA ROTUNDIFOLIA. Cuap. VIL 
I will now give in detail my experiments on the 
digestive power of the secretion of Drosera, dividing 
the substances tried into two series, namely those 
which are digested more or less completely, and those 
which are not digested. We shall presently see that 
all these substances are acted on by the gastric juice 
of the higher animals in the same manner. I beg 
leave to call attention to the experiments under the 
head albumen, showing that the secretion loses its 
power when neutralised by an alkali, and recovers it 
when an acid is added. 
Substances which are completely or partially digested by 
the Secretion of Drosera. 
Albumen.—After having tried various substances, 
Dr. Burdon Sanderson suggested to me the use of cubes 
of coagulated albumen or hard-boiled egg. I may pre- 
mise that five cubes of the same size as those used in 
the following experiments were placed for the sake of 
comparison at the same time on wet moss close to the 
plants of Drosera. The weather was hot, and after four 
days some of the cubes were discoloured and mouldy, 
with their angles a little rounded; but they were not 
surrounded by a zone of transparent fluid as in the 
case of those undergoing digestion. Other cubes 
retained their angles and white colour. After eight 
days all were somewhat reduced in size, discoloured, 
with their angles much rounded. Nevertheless in 
four out of the five specimens, the central parts were 
still white and opaque. So that their state differed 
widely, as we shall see, from that of the cubes sub- 
jected to the action of the secretion. 
Experiment 1.— Rather large cubes of albumen were first 
tried the tentacles were well inflected in 24 hrs.; after an 
