‘nar. XVIL ABSORPTION BY THE QUADRIFIDS. 413 
_plasm, or by its subsequent absorption and transference 
to other parts of the plant. It will hereafter be seen 
that in three or four other species of Utricularia the 
quadrifid processes in contact with decaying animals 
likewise contained aggregated masses of protoplasm. 
On the Absorption of certain Fluids by the Quadrifid 
and Bifid Processes.—These experiments were tried to 
ascertain whether certain fluids, which seemed adapted 
for the purpose, would produce the same effects on 
the processes as the absorption of decayed animal 
matter. Such experiments are, however, troublesome ; 
for it is not sufficient merely to place a branch in 
the fluid, as the valve shuts so closely that the fiuid 
apparently does not enter soon, if at all. Even when 
bristles were pushed into the orifices, they were in 
several cases wrapped so closely round by the thin 
flexible edge of the valve that the fluid was appa- 
rently excluded ; so that the experiments tried in this 
manner are doubtful and not worth giving. The best 
plan would have been to puncture the bladders, but 
I did not think of this till too late, excepting in a few 
cases. In all such trials, however, it cannot be ascer- 
tained positively that the bladder, though translucent, 
does not contain some minute animal in the last stage 
of decay. Therefore most of my experiments were 
made by cutting bladders longitudinally into two; the 
quadrifids were examined with No. 8 of Hartnack, 
then irrigated, whilst under the covering glass, with 
a few drops of the fluid under trial, kept in a damp 
chamber, and re-examined after stated intervals of 
time with the same power as before. 
Four bladders were first tried as a control experiment, in 
the manner just described, in a solution of one part of gum 
arabic to 218 of water, and two bladders in a solution of one 
part of sugar to 437 of water; and in neither case was any 
