52 FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE 



merit, in forming the upper joint of its leaf like a 

 machine to catch food ; upon the middle of this lies 

 the bait for the unhappy insect that becomes its 

 prey. Many minute red glands that cover its sur- 

 face, and which perhaps discharge sweet liquor, 

 tempt the poor animal to taste them ; and the instant 

 these tender parts are irritated by its feet, the two 

 lobes rise up, grasp it fast, lock the rows of spines 

 together, and squeeze it to death. And, further, lest 

 the strong efforts for life in the creature just taken 

 should serve to disengage it, three small erect spines 

 are fixed near the middle of each lobe, among the 

 glands, that effectually put an end to all its struggles. 

 Nor do the lobes ever open again while the dead 

 animal continues there. But it is, nevertheless, certain 

 that the plant cannot distinguish an animal from a 

 vegetable or mineral substance ; for if we introduce 

 a straw or pin between the lobes it will grasp it full 

 as fast as if it were an insect." Linnaeus, however, 

 only regarded these phenomena as illustrations of 

 the extreme sensibility of the leaves. Sixty years 

 subsequently, Dr. Curtis, of North Carolina, made 

 further and more complete examination of these 

 leaves. " Each half of the leaf," he says, " is a little 

 concave on the inner side, where are placed three 

 delicate hair-like organs, in such an order that an 

 insect can hardly traverse it without interfering with 

 one of them, when the two sides suddenly collapse 



