Crar. VI. DIGESTION. 111 
me by Prof. Hoffmann. For comparison, squares of 
the same size as those placed on the leaves were left 
close by on wet moss. These soon swelled, but re- 
tained their angles for three days; after five days 
they formed rounded, softened masses, but even on the 
eighth day a trace of gelatine could still be detected. 
Other squares were immersed in water, and these, 
though much swollen, retained their angles for six 
days. Squares of ~5 of an inch (2°54 mm.), just 
moistened with water, were placed on two leaves; and 
after two or three days nothing was left on them but 
some acid viscid fluid, which in this and other cases 
never showed any tendency to regelatinise; so that 
the secretion must act on the gelatine differently 
to what water does, and apparently in the same 
manner as gastric juice.* Four squares of the same 
size as before were then soaked for three days in water, 
and placed on large leaves; the gelatine was liquefied 
and rendered acid in two days, but did not excite 
much inflection. The leaves began to re-expand after 
four or five days, much viscid fluid being left on their 
discs, as if but little had been absorbed. One of these 
leaves, as soon as it re-expanded, caught a small fly, 
and after 24 hrs. was closely inflected, showing how 
much more potent than gelatine is the animal matter 
absorbed from an insect. Some larger pieces of gela- 
tine, soaked for five days in water, were next placed 
on three leaves, but these did not become much in- 
flected until the third day; nor was the gelatine 
completely liquefied until the fourth day. On this 
day one leaf began to re-expand; the second on the 
fifth ; and third on the sixth. These several facts 
* Dr. Lauder Brunton, ‘Hand- phys. de la Digestion,’ 1867, p 
book for the Phys. Laboratory,” 249 
1873, pp. 477, 487 ; Schiff, ‘ Lecons 
