280 DROSERA SPATHULATA. Cuap. XIL 
which is bluntly pointed and reflexed. They rise from an almost 
woody axis, and their greatest peculiarity consists in their 
foliaceous green footstalks, woich are almost as broad and even 
longer than the gland-bearing blade. This species, therefore, 
probably draws more nourishment from the air, and less from 
captured insects, than the other species of the genus. Never- 
theless, the tentacles ‘are crowded together on the disc, and are 
extremely numerous; those on the margins being much longer 
than the central ones. All the glands have the same form; their 
secretion is extremely viscid and acid. 
The specimen which I examined had only just recovered from 
a weak state of health. This may account for the tentacles 
moving very slowly when particles of meat were placed on the 
glands, and perhaps for my never succeeding in causing any 
movement by repeatedly touching them with a needle. But 
with all the species of the genus this latter stimulus is the least 
effective of any. Particles of glass, cork, and coal-cinders, were 
placed on the glands of six tentacles; and one alone moved after 
an interval of 2 hrs. 30m. Nevertheless, two glands were ex- 
tremely sensitive to very small doses of the nitrate of ammonia, 
namely to about »; of a minim of a solution (one part to 5250 
of water), containing only z¢ego Of a grain (000562 mg.) of 
the salt. Fragments of flies were placed on two leaves near their 
tips, which became incurved in 15 hrs. A fly was also placed in 
the middle of the leaf; in a few hours the tentacles on each side 
embraced it, and in 8 hrs. the whole leaf directly beneath the 
fly was a little bent transversely. By the next morning, after 
23 hrs., the leaf was curled so completely over that the apex 
rested on the upper end of the footstalk. In no case did the 
sides of the leaves become inflected. A crushed fly was placed 
on the foliaceous footstalk, but produced no effect. 
Drosera spathulata (sent to me by Dr. Hooker).—I made only a 
few observations on this Australian species, which has long, 
narrow leaves, ‘gradually widening towards their tips. The 
glands of the extreme marginal tentacles are elongated and differ 
from the others, as-in the case of Drosera rotundifolia, A fly was 
placed on a leaf, and in 18 hrs..it was embraced by the adjoining 
tentacles. Gum-water dropped on several leaves produced no 
effect. A fragment of a leaf was immersed in a few drops of a 
solution of one part of carbonate of ammonia to 146 of water; 
all the glands were instantly blackened ; the process of aggrega- 
tion could be seen travelling rapidly down the cells of the ten- 
tacles; and the granules of protoplasm soon united into spheres 
and variously shaped masses, which displayed the usual move: 
