floating particles may have acted on the glands.  After 24 hrs. bits of meat were placed on the discs of three of these leaves, and next day they became strongly inflected.  As I at first thought that the poison might not have been dissolved in pure water, one grain was added to 437 grains of a mixture of one part of alcohol to seven of water, and half-minims were placed on the discs of six leaves.  These were not at all affected, and when after a day bits of meat were given them, they were slightly inflected in 5 hrs., and closely after 24 hrs.  It follows from these several facts that a solution of curare induces a very moderate degree of inflection, and this may perhaps be due to the presence of a minute quantity of albumen.  It certainly is not poisonous.  The protoplasm in one of the leaves, which had been immersed for 24 hrs., and which had become slightly inflected, had undergone a very slight amount of aggregation—­not more than often ensues from an immersion of this length of time in water.

Acetate of Morphia.—­I tried a great number of experiments with this substance, but with no certain result.  A considerable number of leaves were immersed from between 2 hrs. and 6 hrs. in a solution of one part to 218 of water, and did not become inflected.  Nor were they poisoned; for when they were washed and placed in weak solutions of phosphate and carbonate of ammonia, they soon became strongly inflected, with the protoplasm in the cells well aggregated.  If, however, whilst the leaves were immersed in the morphia, phosphate of ammonia was added, inflection did not rapidly ensue.  Minute drops of the solution were applied in the usual manner to the secretion round between thirty and forty glands; and when, after an interval of 6 m:, bits of meat, a little saliva, or particles of glass, were placed on them, the movement of the tentacles was greatly retarded.  But on other occasions no such retardation occurred.  Drops of water similarly applied never have any retarding power.  Minute drops of a solution of sugar of the same strength (one part to 218 of water) sometimes retarded the subsequent action of meat and of particles of glass, and [page 206] sometimes did not do so.  At one time I felt convinced that morphia acted as a narcotic on Drosera, but after having found in what a singular manner immersion in certain non-poisonous salts and acids prevents the subsequent action of phosphate of ammonia, whereas other solutions have no such power, my first conviction seems very doubtful.

Extract of Hyoscyamus.—­Several leaves were placed, each in thirty minims of an infusion of 3 grs. of the extract sold by druggists to 1 oz. of water.  One of them, after being immersed for 5 hrs. 15 m., was not inflected, and was then put into a solution (1 gr. to 1 oz.) of carbonate of ammonia; after 2 hrs. 40 m. it was found considerably inflected, and the glands much blackened.  Four of the leaves, after being immersed for 2 hrs. 14 m., were placed in 120 minims of a solution (1 gr. to 20 oz.) of phosphate of ammonia; they had already become slightly inflected from the hyoscyamus, probably owing to the presence of some albuminous matter, as formerly explained, but the inflection immediately increased, and after 1 hr. was strongly pronounced; so that hyoscyamus does not act as a narcotic or poison.