THE SUNDEWS. 33 



prepared naturally, and exposed systematically, for 

 the capture of little flies. The club-shaped summit 

 of each tentacle is a manufactory and storehouse for 

 this sticky substance, which is exuded and exposed 

 on the surface. Although these drops glisten and 

 sparkle in the sun, they have another and more 

 important function to perform than only to justify 

 the cognomen of the plant. 



Not only does the response of the tentacles to 

 irritation remind us of sensibility in the animal 

 kingdom, but the apparent power of discrimination 

 which the tentacles possess seems surprising. It is 

 an undoubted fact that the power does exist of 

 distinguishing not only between inorganic and 

 organic substances, as between a piece of glass and 

 a piece of boiled egg, but also between a hard- 

 skinned beetle and a soft fly, and even between 

 different kinds of fluids. Mr. Darwin's experiments 

 give abundant evidence of this, and his book, like 

 all other of his works, is a complete cyclopaedia of 

 authentic facts. For instance, drops of pure water 

 were tried on thirty or forty leaves, but no effect 

 whatever was produced. Drops of milk were placed 

 on sixteen leaves, and the tentacles of all became 

 greatly inflected. Ten leaves were tried with 

 drops of cold tea, but the tentacles did not respond. 

 Whereas eight were tested with dissolved isinglass, 

 as thick as milk, and all of them recognised it by 



D 



