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1876.] Botany. -* En 
can be made out in the cells of the leaves, and the remarkable phenom- 
ena connected with its mode of fertilization, though the latter is less 
often witnessed, owing to the comparative rarity of the male plant. At 
a recent meeting of the Linnæan Society, of London, Mr. A. W. Bennett 
read a paper on the phenomena connected with the development of the 
peduncle of the female flower. This attains a final length of from three 
to four feet, and the rapidity of its growth is perhaps unequaled in the 
vegetable kingdom, being at its most rapid period at the rate of twelve 
inches in twenty-four hours. By marking off and measuring from time 
to time equal portions of the peduncle as they developed above the sur- 
face of the water, Mr. Bennett determined that the greatest activity of 
growth is displayed by the terminal portion of the flower-bud. A 
marked length of 2 inches from the flower-bud increased to 6.5 inches 
during the time that the remainder of the peduncle increased from 8.7 
to 21.25 inches, showing a greater energy in the former case in the pro- 
portion of three to two. This presents a greater analogy to what is 
known to be the ratio of development of different parts in the case of 
roots than in the case of aerial stems, in which the zone of greatest ac- 
tivity of growth is generally at some considerable distance from the 
apex. Very few observations have, however, been made on the relative 
rate of growth of different portions of the same internode. When unfer- 
tilized, the peduncle of the female flower does not coil up and withdraw 
the flower below the surface, as is the case when pollen from a male 
flower has had access to it, but floats in a wavy manner on the surface ; 
and under these circumstances the female flowers remain open for days 
and even weeks, as if waiting for the male flowers. — A. W. BENNETT. 
Insectivorous Prants.— An interesting series of experiments con 
firmatory of the power stated by Darwin to be possessed by the leaves of 
Drosera, of absorbing nourishment through their glands, has been made 
by Dr. Lawson Tait, of Birmingham, England. He placed side by side 
plants of the common D. rotundifolia, some in the normal state, others 
with the roots pinched off close. to the rosette of leaves, and with the 
leaves all buried, only the budding flower-stalk appearing above the 
sand ; others with the roots and flower-stalk left on, but all the leaves 
Pinched off, the roots being buried in the sand; and others again with 
the roots left on but appearing above the sand, some of the leaves buried 
and others exposed. These plants were all carefully washed with dis- 
tilled water before being planted in silver sand which had been deprived 
of all organic matter, and carefully watched to prevent flies being caught; 
they were then fed, some with pure distilled water, others with a strong 
decoction of beef, and others with a very dilute solution of phosphate of 
ammonia. The conclusions arrived at from the series of experiments 
Were that the plant can not only absorb nutriment by its leaves, but 
that it can actually live by their aid alone, and that it thrives better when 
supplied with nitrogenous material in small quantity. The nitrogenous 
