432 General Notes. [July, 
DOUBLE SAXIFRAGE, AGAIN. — At a recent meeting of the Academy 
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Mr. Meehan exhibited a specimen 
of Saxifraga Virginiensis having double flowers. Subsequently Dr. J. 
G. Hunt exhibited a specimen of like character ; both were collected on 
the banks of the Schuylkill River near Philadelphia. The flowers on. 
each specimen were few in number, but of larger size than those noted 
by.Professor Gray in the June number of the NATURALIST. — Isaac 
C. MARTINDALE, Camden, N. J. 
SALIX CANDIDA IN Essex County.—I found this plant by accident in 
a swamp in Boxford, while on one of the local exploring trips last summer , 
in company with J. H. Sears, who is familiar with that region. I ha 
then the leaves only. This month we went again to the place and found 
male and female plants abundant in the vicinity of the Pinus resinosa grove. 
Salix myrtilloides grows there also, but this has been found also in North 
Reading, Andover, Danvers, and Hamilton. Oakes had S. myrtilloides 
from “ Topsfield” in 1846. 
I also send two varieties of Draba Caroliniana, discovered on Salem 
_ Neck by Dr. Charles Pickering in 1824. It grows abundantly some years, 
and is scarce others. There is an acre or two of it. One form is very 
white beneath the leaves, later flowered and lighter, and having thicker 
pods than the other, which is darker, with thin pods. Mr. Russell knew 
the place, and I have watched it every year since 1870. — JOHN ROBIN- 
SON, Salem. 
SARRACENIA VARIOLARIS. — In 1874 I prepared notes on S. variola- 
ris, in which it was stated, as one of the conclusions reached, that the 
sweet secretion at the mouth of the tubes was simply a lure to insects 
and not stupefying or intoxicating as had been supposed. Last year, 
having read an interesting article on this subject, in which the writer 
arrived at conclusions directly opposed to my own, I was curious to dis- 
cover whether I had committed any error, but it was too late at that 
season to repeat former experiments. 
On the 15th of this month, therefore, I procured about midday from & 
neighboring pine barren a number of leaves of this plant which were 
brilliantly colored and secreting freely. While still fresh, the upper POF 
tions of these leaves were cut off and slit open, thereby exposing the 
honeyed secretion on the internal surface, which was very abundant and 
glistening, sweet to the taste and viscid to the touch. ‘These were then 
flattened out on a large newspaper, the whole surface of which was Cov- 
ered with them. Many house flies were soon attracted and commenced 
to feed, and I carefully watched their motions without any interruption 
for the space of one hour. The result was precisely as previously stated. 
In no instance did I discover the slightest unsteadiness or tottering M 
_ any of the flies, although I watched some of them feeding at one spot 
ae at least ten minutes, at the expiration of which time they flew off 
. apparently unhurt. They continued feeding and flying off from the 
