THE CALIPORNIAN PITCHER-PLANT 
231 
of the hooded cobrawith its open fangs. 
The wild pitchers are rather smaller than 
the finest of those grown under glass, 
varying from 18 to 30 inches high with 
hoods2 to 4 inchesacross; on the other 
hand they are far more brightly mot- 
tled with red and yellow, cultivated 
plants losing in colour what 
they gain in size. 
The plant is wonderfully 
adapted to its end in life. Its 
hooded leaves, gathered in 
erect tufts, are much inflated 
towards the top and finely col- 
oured or netted with green and 
red on a paler ground. Instead 
of the rounded undulating lid 
of other pitcher-plants, there 
is a red and yellow flap divided 
like a fish-tail, which hangs 
down in front of the mouth 
and conceals the flesh - col - 
oured rim of the pitcher with 
its smooth and slippery sides. 
This fish-tail and the rims of 
the pitcher secrete a sort of 
honey, which is often pro- 
longed as a sweet trail along 
a narrow wing or rib, run- 
ning up the front of the pit- 
cher from the rootstock to 
the mouth. Creeping insects are thus 
guided and lured upwards into the trap, 
while the notice of flies is doubtless 
gainedbythegaymottlingsofthe pitcher 
and the sweetened trail conducts them 
also to the rim, where danger begins and 
the honey is most plentiful. The leaf- 
tubes are not erect as in most Sarra- 
ceniasbutare twisted spirally about half 
a turn or so in their entire length, leading 
straight into the mouths of the pitchers 
which face downward and in various 
directions: every device therefore leads 
to the same end. Once beneath the hood 
— and it maybe partially intoxicated — 
the insectforgets the darkened trap- door 
by which it entered, and passes upwards 
A Fine Pot-grown Darlingtonia. 
into the dome, composed of glistening 
translucent membrane through which 
the light strikes in richly chequered tints 
with all the brilliance of a stained win- 
dow. So far from leading outwards how- 
ever,this deceptive brightness covers the 
black depths of the pitcher, the walls 
of which, at first smooth, lower down 
are covered more and more thickly with 
needle-like hairs all pointing down- 
