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Show 450 GENLISEA ORNATA. CHAP. XVIII. could be recognised. It is, indeed, scarcely possible that any object could enter the small orifice and pass down the long narrow neck, except a living creature. vVithin the necks, however, of some specimens, a worm with retracted horny jaws, the abdomen of some articulate animal, and specks of dirt, probably the ren1nants of other minute creatures, were found. Many of the papillre within both the utricles and necks were discoloured, as if they had absorbed matter. From this description it is sufficiently obvious how Genlisea secures its prey. Small animals entering the narrow orifice-but what induces them to enter is not known any more than in the case of lTtriculariawould find their egress rendered difficult by the sharp incurved hairs on the lips, and as soon as they passed :o1ne way down the neck, it would be scarcely possible for them to return, owing to the many transverse rows of long, straight, downward pointing hairs, together with the ridges from which these project. Such creatures would, therefore, perish eitl~_er within the neck or utricle; and the quadrifid and bifid papillre would absorb 1natter from their decayed remains. The transverse rows of hairs are so numerous that they seem superfluous merely for the sake of preventing the escape of prey, and as they are thin and delicate, they probably serve as additional absorbents, in the sa1ne manner as the flexible bristles on the infolded 1nargins of the leaves of Aldrovanda. The spiral arms no doubt act as accessory traps. Until fresh leaves are examined, it cannot be told whether the line of junction of the spirally wound lamina is a little open along its whole course, or only in parts, but a small creature which forced its way into the tube at any point, would be prevented from escaping by the incurved hairs, and would find an open path down CHAP. XVIII. G ENLISEA FILIFORMIS. 451 the tube int~ the neck, and so into the utricle. If the creatu. re penshed within the spiral arms , l·ts d ecay1. ng rem~Ins would be absorbed and utilised by the bifid p.apil!re. vVe thus see that animals are captured by Crenhsea, ~ot by means of an elastic valve as with the foregoing species, but by a contrivance r~sembling an eel-~rap, th?ugh more complex. G:enl~sect afrwana (South Africa ).-Fragments of the utncuhferous leaves of this species exhibited the same structure as those of Genlisea ornata. A nearly perfect Acarus was found within the utricle or neck of one ~eaf, but in which of the two was not recorded. Genl~s~a aurea (Brazil).-A fragment of the neck of a utncle was lined with transverse rows of h ·. d f . . ans, ~n was urn1shed With elongated papillce exactl hke those within the neck of Genlisea orna;a It .Y probable, therefore, thitt the whole utricle is similar!; constructed. Genlisea .filiformis (Bahia, Brazil).-Many leaves we1:e examined and none were found provided with utncle~, whereas such leaves were found without difficulty In the three previous species. On the other ~and, the rhizomes bear bladders resembling in essen_ ti~l character those on the rhizomes of U tricularia. These bladders are transparent, and very small, viz. only 1 b o of an i~ch ( ·254 mm.) in length. The antennce .are not u~Ited at their bases, and apparently bear some long haus. On the outside of the bladders there ~re only a few papillce, and internally very few quadnficl processes. These latter, however, are of unusuall~ large size, relatively to the bladder, with the four dive~ge.nt arms of equal length. No prey could be seen within these minute bladders. As the rhizomes of this species were furnished with bladders those of Genlisea africana, ornata, and aurea were 'carefully 2 G 2 |
