Experiment 11.—­Two cubes of albumen (1/40 of an inch, or .635 mm.) were placed on two leaves, and were treated with alkalies as in the last experiment, and with the same result; for after 22 hrs. they had their angles perfectly sharp, showing that the digestive process had been completely arrested.  I then wished to ascertain what would be the effect of using stronger hydrochloric acid; so I added minute drops of the strength of 1 per cent.  This proved rather too strong, for after 48 hrs. from the time when the acid was added one cube was still almost perfect, and the other only very slightly rounded, and both were stained slightly pink.  This latter fact shows that the leaves were injured,* for during the normal process of digestion the albumen is not thus coloured, and we can thus understand why the cubes were not dissolved.]

From these experiments we clearly see that the secretion has the power of dissolving albumen, and we further see that if an alkali is added, the process of digestion is stopped, but immediately recommences as soon as the alkali is neutralised by weak hydrochloric acid.  Even if I had tried no other experiments than these, they would have almost sufficed to prove that the glands of Drosera secrete some ferment analogous to pepsin, which in presence of an acid gives to the secretion its power of dissolving albuminous compounds.

Splinters of clean glass were scattered on a large number of leaves, and these became moderately inflected.  They were cut off and divided into three lots; two of them, after being left for some time in a little distilled water, were strained, and some dis-

* Sachs remarks (’Trait de Bot.’ 1874, p. 774), that cells which are killed by freezing, by too great heat, or by chemical agents, allow all their colouring matter to escape into the surrounding water. [page 97]

coloured, viscid, slightly acid fluid was thus obtained.  The third lot was well soaked in a few drops of glycerine, which is well known to dissolve pepsin.  Cubes of albumen (1/20 of an inch) were now placed in the three fluids in watch-glasses, some of which were kept for several days at about 90o Fahr. (32o.2 Cent.), and others at the temperature of my room; but none of the cubes were dissolved, the angles remaining as sharp as ever.  This fact probably indicates that the ferment is not secreted until the glands are excited by the absorption of a minute quantity of already soluble animal matter,—­a conclusion which is supported by what we shall hereafter see with respect to Dionaea.  Dr. Hooker likewise found that, although the fluid within the pitchers of Nepenthes possesses extraordinary power of digestion, yet when removed from the pitchers before they have been excited and placed in a vessel, it has no such power, although it is already acid; and we can account for this fact only on the supposition that the proper ferment is not secreted until some exciting matter is absorbed.