THE DOGSBANE. 
62 
But we have one plant in our gardens, a native of North 
America, than which none can be more cruelly destruc- 
tive of animal life, the dogsbane (apocynum androsae- 
mifolium), which is generally conducive to the death 
of every fly that settles upon it. Allured by the honey 
on the nectary of the expanded blossom, the instant the 
trunk is protruded to feed on it, the filaments close, 
and, catching the fly by the extremity of its proboscis, 
detain the poor prisoner writhing in protracted struggles 
till released by death, a death apparently occasioned by 
exhaustion alone; the filaments then relax, and the 
body falls to the ground. The plant will at times be 
dusky from the numbers of imprisoned wretches. This 
elastic action of the filaments may be conducive to the 
fertilizing of Ahe seed by scattering the pollen from the 
anthers, as is the case with the berberry ; but we are not 
sensible that the destruction of the creatures which 
excite the action is in any way essential to the wants or 
perfection of the plant, and our ignorance favors the 
idea of a wanton cruelty in the herb ; but how little of 
the causes and motives of action of created things do 
we know ! and it must be unlimitable arrogance alone 
that could question the wisdom of the mechanism of 
him “ that judgeth rightly ; ” the operations of a simple 
plant confound and humble us, and, like the hand-writing 
on the wall, though seen by many, can be explained 
but by ONE. 
The different manner in which vegetables exert their 
organic powers to effect the destruction of insects, is 
not perhaps unworthy of a brief notice ; some, as those 
above mentioned, accomplish it by means of elastic or 
irritable actions, adhesive substances, and so forth ; but 
we have another plant in our green-houses, the glaucous 
birthwort (aristol. glauca), that effects these purposes 
without any of these means, but principally by confor- 
mation. The whole internal surface of the tubular 
flower is beset with minute strong spines, pointing ' 
downwards ; these present no impediment to the de- 
scent of the animal which may seek for the sweet liquor 
lodged upon the nectarium at the base of the blossom, 
nor is there any obstruction provided for its return by 
