which upon a slight pressure yield a passage, at- 
tracted by the sweet liquor that is found at the base 
of the germen ; but when so admitted, there is no 
return, the lips are closed, and all advance to them 
is impeded by a dense thicket of woolly matter, which 
invests the mouth of the lower jaw : — 
Smooth lies the road to Pluto’s gloomy shade } 
But ’tis a long, unconquerable pain, 
To climb to the aethereal realms again. 
But this Snapdragon is more merciful than most of 
our insect traps. The creature receives no inj ury when 
in confinement ; but, having consumed the nectareous 
liquor, and finding no egress, breaks from its dun- 
geon by gnawing a hole at the base of the tube, and 
returns to liberty and light. The extraordinary man- 
gier in which the corolla of this plant is formed, the 
elastic force with which the lower limb closes and 
fits upon the projection of the upper, manifest the 
obvious design of the great Architect, “whose hands 
bended the rainbow.” 
We have never observed small insects confined 
as here described, but have been much gratified by 
watching the effects of instinct in the humble-bee, 
and the dexterity with which these insects, apparently 
as large as the corolla of the Antirrhinum, will enter 
and pillage its nectar. They alight on the flower, 
open the mouth of it, and enter in a moment : hid- 
den there a few seconds, they reappear, and as 
quickly enter another flower. Sometimes in lieu of 
entering, they tear open the bottom of the corolla at 
the nectary, with a violence peculiar to themselves. 
Their impetuosity should be witnessed, by confining 
one under a piece of net, or thin muslin. 
Hort. Kew. 2, v. 4, 17. 
