MINOR CARNIVORA. 137 



bladders contained animals, and I found almost every 

 one that was well developed contained one or more, 

 or their remains, in various stages of digestion. The 

 snake-like larva was the largest, and most constant 

 animal found. On some of the stems that I examined 

 fully nine out of every ten of the bladders contained 

 this larva or its remains. When first caught it was 

 fierce, thrusting out its horns and feet, and drawing 

 them back, but otherwise it seemed partly paralysed, 

 moving its body but very little ; even small larvae of 

 this species, that had plenty of room to swim about, 

 were very soon quiet, although they showed signs ot 

 life from 24 to 36 hours after they were imprisoned. 

 In about 12 hours, as nearly as I could make out, 

 they lost the power of drawing their feet back, and 

 could only move the brush-like appendages. There 

 was some variation with different bladders as to the 

 time when maceration or digestion began to take 

 place, but usually, on a growing spray, in less than 

 two days after a large larva was captured the fluid 

 contents of the bladders began to assume a cloudy or 

 muddy appearance, and often became so dense that 

 the outline of the animal was lost to view. 



" Nothing yet in the history of carnivorous plants 

 come so near to the animal as this. I was forced to 

 the conclusion that these little bladders are in truth 

 like so many stomachs digesting and assimilating 

 animal food. 



