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Show 302 DION.lEA MUSCIPULA. 0IIAP. XIII. _L broad· the leaf was then made to close. It was cut open ~fter 45 'hrs. The albumen was hard and compressed, with its angles only a little rounded; the ~elatine was co.rroded i~to an oval form· and both were bathed In so much aCid s'ecretwn that it dropp~d off the leaf. The dige~tive proce~s apparently is rather slower than in Drosera, and this agrees w1th the length of time during which the leaves remain closed over digestible objects. . Expedm(mt 2.-A bit of a~bumen lo ~f ~n Inch squar~, but only 7£10 in thickness, and a piece ?f ge~ahne of the same Size as before, were placed on a leaf, whwh e:ght .days afterw~rds was cut open. The surface was bathed wit~ slightly adhesive, ver~ acid secretion, and the glands were all In an aggregated condition. Not a vestige of the albumen or gelatine was left. Similarly sized pieces were placed at the same time on wet moss on the same pot, so that they were subjected to nearly similar conditions; after eight days these were. brown, decayed, and matted with fibres of mould, but had not drsappearecl. Experiment 3.-A piece of albumen 2~ of an inch (3·81 mm.) lonO' and _L broad a:o.d thick, and a piece of gelatine of tho bJ 20 same size as before, were placed on another loaf, which was cut open after seven days; not a vestige of either substance was left, and only a moderate amount of secretion on the surface. Experiment 4.-Pieces of albumen and gelatine, of tho same size as in the last experiment, were plaeed on a leaf, which spontaneously opened after twelve days, and here again not a vestige of either was left: and only a little secretion at one end of the midrib. E xperiment 5.-Pieces of albumen and gelatine of the same size were placed on another leaf, which after twelve days was still firmly closed, but had begun to wither; it was cut open, and contained nothing except a vestige of brown matter where the albumen had lain. Experiment 6.-A cube of albumen of ro of an inch and a piece of gelatine of the same size as before were placed on a leaf, which opened spontaneously after thirteen days. The albumen, which was twice as thick as in the latter experiments~ was too large; for the glands in contact with it were injured and were dropping off; a film also of albumen of a brown colour, matted with mould, was left. All the gelatine was absorbed, and · there was only a little acid secretion loft on the midrib. Experiment 7.-A bit of h~lf roasted meat (not measured) and a bit of gelatine were placed on the two ends of a leaf, which CHAP. XIII. DIGESTION. 303 opened spontaneously after eleven days; a vestige of the meat was left, and the surface of the leaf was here blackened ; the gelatine had all disappeared. E xp e·n·rnent 8.-A bit of half roasted meat (not measured) was placed on a leaf which was forcibly kept open by a clip, so that it was moistened with the secretion (very acid) only on its lower surface. Nevertheless, after only 22.} hrs. it was surprisingly softened, when compared with another bit of the same meat which had been kept damp. . Expedment 9.-A cube of 1 1 0 of an inr.h of very compact roasted beef was placed on a leaf, which opened spontaneously after twelve days; so much feebly acid secretion was left on the leaf that it trickled off. The meat was completely disintegrated, but not all dissolved; there was no mould. The little mass was placed under the microscope; some of the fibrillro in the middle still exhibited transverse strire; others showed not a vestige of strire; and every gradation could be traced between these two states. GlobuleR, apparently of fat, and some undigested fibro-elastic tissue remained. The meat was thus in the same state as that formerly described, which was half digested by Drosera. Here, again, as in the case of albumen, the digestive process seems slower than in Drosera. At the opposite end of the same leaf, a firmly compressed pellet of bread had been placed; this was completely .disintegrated, I suppose, owing to the digestion of the gluten, but seemed very little reduced in bulk. .ftxperiment 10. --A cube of io of an inch of cheese and another of albumen were placed at opposite ends of the same leaf. After nine days the lobes opened spontaneously a little at the end enclosing the cheese, but hardly any or none was dissolved, though it was softened and surrounded by secretion. Two days subsequently the end with the albumen al so opened spontaneously (i.e. eleven days after it was put on), a mere trace in a blackened and dry condition being Jeft. Ex pt:rimer,t 11.-The same experiment with cheese and albumen repeated on another and rather torpid leaf. The lobes at the end with the cheese, after an interval of six days, opened spontaneously a little; the cube of cheese was much softened, but not dissolved, and but little, if at all, reduced in size. Twelve hours afterwards the end with the albumen opened, which now consisted of a large drop of transparent, not acid, viscid fluid. Experiment 12.-Same experiment as the two last, and here again the leaf at the end enclosing the cheese opened before the |