What is ftill more extraordinary, there are not want¬ 
ing amongft vegetables fome inftances, in which the 
fmaller animals meet their fate by alighting on the 
flowers or leaves; being either held faft by a vifeous 
exfudation from the furface, or confined by the preflure 
of the irritable parts of the plant. One of the moft cu¬ 
rious infiances of this kind is in a fpecies of Apocynum, 
well known to Botanifts by the name of Apocynum 
androfiemifolium. In the flowers of this plant the an- 
therae, which are fituated pretty deep in the flower, 
converge, fo as to form a fhelter for the nectaria lying 
below them, and in the centre of which is contained 
a fmall quantity of that fweet juice fo peculiarly attrac¬ 
tive to infects. The antherae are polfelfed of a very 
great degree of irritability, and fuddenly converge 
much clofer on being touched ; when therefore a fly, 
or other fmall infedt alights on the flower and inferts 
its probofeis into the centre, it is fuddenly caught 
by the converging antherae, and detained in this mi- 
ferable fituation till it perifhes. 
But a ftill more wonderful example of vegetable irri¬ 
tability occurs in the plant reprefented on the annexed 
plate. In this plant the furface of the leaves is irritable 
in the higheft degree, and each leaf being furnifhed 
round the edge with a feries of fpiny procelfes, and 
converging longitudinally when irritated, with a very 
confiderable degree of preflure, it follows that whatever 
infedt is fo unfortunate as to alight on the leaf,, is, 
(unlefs it be extremely nimble) caught as effectually.as 
a moufe in a trap, and is even generally fqueezed to 
death by the preflure. The plant is moft irritable du¬ 
ring the warm part of the day, and in full funfhine. 
It 
