90 FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. 



his unsteady motions, and seeing him dragging his 

 slow length along. 



" Without doubt, therefore, the secretion found in 

 the tubes of Sarracenia is intoxicating, or anaesthetic, 

 or narcotic, or by whatever word you may prefer to 

 indicate that condition to which these insects succumb. 

 I forgot to mention that while experimenting as 

 above I also threw several flies in water — a few 

 escaped, one remained for some hours, still ' paddling ' 

 and undrowned. A large ' blue fly ' was also re- 

 peatedly immersed in a weak solution of gum-arabic 

 (in imitation of the fluid of Sarracenia) but he re- 

 mained unhurt all night, and I liberated him in 

 the morning. " l 



Having thus far recapitulated the results of most 

 of the experiments which have been undertaken in 

 connexion with the Sarracenias, it is necessary to see 

 how matters stand with them in relationship to their 

 insectivorous proclivities. They possess pitchers, or 

 receptacles capable of holding and retaining insects. 

 These receptacles are furnished with glands which 

 excrete around the mouth of the pitcher saccharine 

 juice peculiarly attractive to insects, although of no 

 special service to the plant. Insects seduced by this 

 nectar congregate around the mouths of the pitchers, 

 the sides of which are so constructed that they present 



1 Prof. Asa Gray in " New York Tribune," 1874, and 

 "Gardener's Chronicle," June 27, 1874, p. 818. 



