56 : BOTANY. 
concealed in the infolded leaf. The insect was killed by this im- 
prisonment. This experiment was repeated upon other leaves and 
with nearly the same results. 
2nd. He placed a little fly, being careful not to injure it, on a leaf 
of Drosera rotundifolia. The insect made some movements to gain 
his liberty, but he soon died, as did the ants in the previous exper- 
iments. The hairs bent inwards as before. The experiment began 
at eleven a.m. At five o'clock P. m: the leaf had completely closed 
_ and held the fly within. 
The third observation was made upon a specimen of Drosera 
longifolia. An ant was employed, and with the same results as be- 
fore. It is interesting to note the following on p: 64:—‘‘ Dieses 
Zusammenklappen erfolgt aber auch ebenso wenn man ein Stroh- 
halmchen oder eine Stecknadel zwischen dieselben bringt.” 
The author makes some remarks relative to the similarity of ac- 
tion in the two genera, Dionzea and Drosera. The most interesting 
note, however, is that in respect to the purpose of the irritability. 
“Mr. Ellis suggests in his letter to Linnæus that nature, by the 
formation of the leaf of Dionzea, may perhaps have designed it to 
aid in its nourishment. Schreber, however, believes it is unlikely 
that plants should draw nourishment from insects pressed between 
their leaves. It is certain that we cannot determine positively 
what object the wise Creator may have had in giving to these plants 
this wonderful structure and irritability, but I believe that we may 
assume safely that this structure and faculty of these plants may 
tend, through this nourishment, to the preservation and propagation 
of their kind. We cannot yet determine whether these plants may 
not need for their support animal juices. Besides, knowing as We 
do that these plants have, chiefly on their leaves, an apparatus by 
which they may draw from the air foreign bodies a their nourish- 
ment, we have no reason to doubt this possibility.’ 
The author claims that no one had preceded him in this investi- 
gation. 
_ In 1802, Roth published the following note (Neue Beyträge 
zur Botanik, von Al. W. Roth. Erster Theil. Frankf. am Mayn. 
1802. p. 185). ‘In Droseris Germanicis simile phenomenon 0b- 
servatur et non minus miraculosum, quam in Dionsea muscipula, 
Foliorum scilicet pili apice oriferi ab Insecto irritati inflectuntur, 
inflexi Insectum incarcerant, et folium demum complicatum incar- 
ceratum tenet.” 
