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Show 100 DROSERA ROTUNDIFOLIA. CnAP, VI. the least digested. There ~ere also little free paral- 1e 1 o grams of Yellowish ' h.i ghly. translucenbt matte.r . Schiff, in speaking of the digestion of meat y gastnc juice, alludes to such parallelograms, and says:- " Le gonflement par Iequel commenc~dla diges1tiot~ de la viandt~f' .. , It d I' ction du sue gastrique aCI e sur e 1ssu connec 1 res·u e d' e oau t d'abord et qui par sa h·q ue' fa c t' d' ' 1 q lOll, csagrcge es Ul Se ISS ' ' · d t. . fibrilles. Celles-ci se dissolvent ens1nte en gran ,e par 1~, ma1s, t d Passer a l'etat liquide, ellcs tendent a se br1ser en paveatint s fer agments transversaux. Les , l t ' d sarcous e_emen s c B owman, qui ne sont autre chose ,q u, e 1ets ·p rodu1ts de t c"c'tt te dl.V l·S I·O ll transversale des fibrilles elemen. mres, peuven e, re re ares et isoles a l'aide du sue gastrique, pourvu qu on ~'aftend pas jusqu'a la liquefaction complete du muscle." After an interval of 72 hrs., from the time when the five cubes were placed on the leaves, I OJ:>One<l the four remaining ones. On two nothing could be seen but little masses of transparent viscid fluid; but when these were examined under a high power, fat-globules, bits of fibro-elastic tissue, and som~ f~w parallelograms of sarcous matter, could be distinguished, but not a vestige of transverse striro. On the other two leaves there were minute spheres of only partially digested meat in the centre of much transparent fluid. Fibrin.-Bits of fibrin were left in water during :four days, whilst the following exp riments were tried, but they were not in the least acted on. The fibrin which I first used was not pure, and included dark particles: it had either not been w 11 prepared or had subsequently undergone some change. Thin portions, about -fo of an inch square, were placed on several leaves, and though the fibrin was soon liquefied, the whole was never dissolved. Smaller particles were then placed on four leaves, and minute CHAP. VI. DIGESTION. 101 drops of hydrochloric acid (one part to 437 of water) were added; this seemed to hasten the process of digestion, for on one leaf all was liquefied and absorbed after 20 hrs.; but on the three other leaves some undissolved residue was left after 48 hrs. It is remarkable that in all the above and following experiments, as well as when much larger bits of fibrin were u~ed, the leaves were very little excited; and it was sometimes necessary to add a little saliva to induce complete inflection. The leaves, moreover, began to re-expand after only 48 hrs., whereas they would have remained inflected for a much longer time had insects, meat, cartilage, albumen, &c., been placed on them. I then tried some pure white fibrin, sent me by Dr. Burdon Sanderson. Experiment I.-Two particles, barely 2~ of an inch (1·27 mm.) square, were placed on opposite sides of the same leaf. One of these did not excite the surrounding tentaclet;, and the gland on which it rested SQon dried. The other particle caused a few of the short adjoining tentacles to be inflected, the more distant ones not being affected. After 24 hrs. both were almost, and after 72' hrs. completely, dissolved. Experiment 2.-The same experiment with the same result, only one of the two bits of fibrin exciting the short surrounding tentacles. This bit was so slowly acted on that after a day I pushed it on to some fresh glands. In three days from the time when it was first placed on the leaf it was completely dissolved. Expen·ment 3.-Bits of fibrin of about the same size as before were placed on the discs of two leaves; these caused very little inflection in 23 hrs., but after 48 hrs. both were well clasped by the surrounding short tentacles, and after an additional 24 hrs. were completely dissolved. On the disc of one of these leaveR much clear acid fluid was left. Exper-iment 4.-Similar bits of fibrin were placed on tbe discs of two leaves; as after 2 hrs. the glands seemr.d rather dry, they were freely moistened with saliva; this soon caused strong inflection both of the tentacles and blades, with copious |