416 The American Naturalist. [May, 
after the commencement of the experiment. After the devel- 
opment of from nine to ten generations on Fleisch-Peptone- 
Gelatine, the different species of bacteria were transferred to 
test tubes which contained dilute acid peptone-free meat 
bouillon. Control experiments were made with test tubes 
containing sterilized water acidulated with dilute hydrochlo- 
ric acid. Into each test tube was placed a small cube of 
sterilized egg albumen. In all of those test tubes in which 
the bacteria developed there followed a rapid solution of the 
egg albumen commencing at the surface of the cubes and 
invariably continuing to their centers until solution or pep- 
tonization was complete. 
By these experiments the author proved that bacteria 
which possess the power of dissolving egg albumen are — 
always present in the secretions of insectivorous plants. 
The number of species that had this power were: 7 
In Pinguicula vulgaris, 4 species. 
In Drosera longifolia, 2 species. ; l 
In Drosera rotundifolia, 1 species. 7 
In Dionæa muscipula, 2 species. 
In Nepenthes mastersii, 2 species. 
His next experiments were made using the leaves of Nepen- 
thes, where comparatively large quantities of the fluid could 
be procured without special irritation. He examined fully - 
developed pitchers of Nepenthes mastersii and N. kennedyana. 
The reaction of the secretion was neutral. The secretion con- 
tained neither peptone nor insects, and yet there were vast 
numbers of micro-organisms. The liquid from a leaf of each 4 
species was poured into two test tubes, one acidulated with 
dilute hydrochloric acid, the other without addition of acid. 
A small cube of coagulated egg albumen was placed in each 
test tube, and they were then placed in a thermostat at a tempert- 
ature of 37.5° C. At the end of sixteen hours the egg albumen 
in the tubes to which hydrochloric acid had been added, had 
commenced to dissolve, but in the other two was unchang 
This experiment was made to satisfy himself concerning the 
truth of observations made by Gorup, Besanz and Will that _ 
the secretion of unirritated pitchers possessed the property 
