of the object. On a leaf which had naturally caught two flies, and
therefore had already closed and reopened either once or more probably
twice, I put a fresh fly: in 7 hrs. it was moderately, and in 21 hrs.
thoroughly well, clasped, with the edges of the leaf inflected. In two
days and a half the leaf had nearly re-expanded; as the exciting object
was an insect, this unusually short period of inflection was, no doubt,
due to the leaf having recently been in action. Allowing this same leaf
to rest for only a single day, I put on another fly, and it again
closed, but now very slowly; nevertheless, in less than two days it
succeeded in thoroughly clasping the fly.

When a small object is placed on the glands of the disc, on one side of
a leaf, as near as possible to its circumference, the tentacles on this
side are first affected, those on the opposite side much later, or, as
often occurred, not at all. This was repeatedly proved by trials with
bits of meat; but I will here give only the case of a minute fly,
naturally caught and still alive, which I found adhering by its
delicate feet to the glands on the extreme left side of the central
disc. The marginal tentacles on this side closed inwards and killed the
fly, and after a time the edge of the leaf on this side also became
inflected, and thus remained for several days, whilst neither the
tentacles nor the edge on the opposite side were in the least
affected.

If young and active leaves are selected, inorganic particles not larger
than the head of a small pin, placed on the central glands, sometimes
cause the [page 22] outer tentacles to bend inwards. But this follows
much more surely and quickly, if the object contains nitrogenous matter
which can be dissolved by the secretion. On one occasion I observed the
following unusual circumstance. Small bits of raw meat (which acts more