Onar. XVII. UTRICULARIA NEGLECTA. 395 
CHAPTER XVII 
Utricularia, 
Utricularia neglecta—Structure of the bladder—The uses of the several 
parts— Number of imprisoned animals— Manner of capture — 
The bladders cannot digest animal matter, but absorb the products 
of its decay —- Experiments on the absorption of certain fluids by 
the quadrifid processes— Absorption by the glands— Summary 
of the observation on absorption — Development of the bladders — 
Utricularia vulgaris — Utricularia minor — Utricularia clandestina. 
I was led to investigate the habits and structure of 
the species of this genus partly from their belonging 
to the same natural family as Pinguicula, but more 
especially by Mr. Holland’s statement, that “water 
insects are often found imprisoned in the bladders,” 
which he suspects “ are destined for the plant to feed 
on.” * The plants which I first received as Utricularia 
vulgaris from the New Forest in Hampshire and from 
Cornwall, and which I have chiefly worked on, have 
been determined by Dr. Hooker to be a very rare 
British species, the Utricularia neglecta of Lehm.t I 
subsequently received the true Utricularia vulgaris 
from Yorkshire. Since drawing up the following 
description from my own observations and those of my 
son, Francis Darwin, an important memoir by Prof. Cohn 
* The ‘Quart. Mag. of the 
High Wycombe Nat. Hist. Soc.’ 
July 1868, p. 5. Delpino (‘Ult. 
Osservaz. sulla Dicogamia, &c. 
1868-1869, p. 16) also quotes 
+ I am much indebted to the 
Rev. H. M. Wilkinson, of Bistern, 
for having sent me several fine 
lots of this species from the New 
Forest. Mr. Ralfs was also so kind 
Crouan as having found (1858) 
erustaceans within the bladders 
of Utricularia vulgaris. 
as to send me living plants of the 
same species from near Penzance 
in Cornwall. 
