1883.] Changes in the Gland-Cells o/Dionsea muscipula. 181 



vacuoles, instead of one large one, are present. The protoplasm now 

 exhibits but little granularity, and may be described as clear and 

 hyaline. The nucleus is clearly brought into view, and appears to 

 have undergone a very considerable diminution in size. 



Fig. 2. 



Passing to the phenomena of the ordinary leaf tissue, it may be 

 remarked that definite special cell-contents make their appearance after 

 the absorption of the digested food. 



Sections of leaves which were placed in alcohol thirty-six hours 

 after feeding, show that the cells contain a very large number of tufts 

 of crystals, which are present in the cell -vacuole and adhere to the 

 inner surface of the cell-protoplasm. The tufts are formed of fine 

 acicular crystals which crystallise out with great regularity and radiate 

 from a central point. The tufts are of a yellow-green colour. They 

 are insoluble in alcohol, in 1 per cent, acetic acid, and in 1 per cent, 

 hydrochloric acid ; and soluble with difficulty in 5 per cent, solution 

 of potash. The formation of these crystals may be artificially pro- 

 duced by wetting the surface of a fresh leaf with the fluid from a leaf 

 which has fed for a period of from thirty-six to forty-eight hours. 



After forty-eight hours the cell-contents are of a different nature. 

 The cells now contain numerous bodies which present the appearance 

 of flat sphaero-crystals. They are usually perfectly circular in outline, 

 and are clear and colourless. They are insoluble in alcohol but 

 extremely soluble in water. 



In Drosera the changes take place much more rapidly, the pheno- 

 menon of digestion usually extending over a period of from three to 

 five days. The gland-cells in the resting state were seen to be much 

 more granular before, than after secretion. In consequence of absorp- 

 tion the cells contain a large quantity of a substance which is precipi- 

 tated in dense granules by alcohol, but is readily soluble in water. The 

 author has not yet worked out Drosera in detail. 



