It has already been remarked that plants growing in a state of nature have the margins of their leaves much more strongly incurved than those grown in pots and prevented from catching many insects. We have seen that insects washed down by the rain from all parts of the leaf often lodge within the margins, which are thus excited to curl farther inwards; and we may suspect that this action, many times repeated during the life of the plant, leads to their permanent and well-marked incurvation. I regret that this view did not occur to me in time to test its truth.
It may here be added, though not immediately [page 381] bearing on our subject, that when a plant is pulled up, the leaves immediately curl downwards so as almost to conceal the roots,—a fact which has been noticed by many persons. I suppose that this is due to the same tendency which causes the outer and older leaves to lie flat on the ground. It further appears that the flower-stalks are to a certain extent irritable, for Dr. Johnson states that they “bend backwards if rudely handled.”*
Secretion, Absorption, and Digestion.—I will first give my observations and experiments, and then a summary of the results.
[The Effects of Objects containing Soluble Nitrogenous Matter.
(1) Flies were placed on many leaves, and excited the glands to secrete copiously; the secretion always becoming acid, though not so before. After a time these insects were rendered so tender that their limbs and bodies could be separated by a mere touch, owing no doubt to the digestion and disintegration of their muscles. The glands in contact with a small fly continued to secrete for four days, and then became almost dry. A narrow strip of this leaf was cut off, and the glands of the longer and shorter hairs, which had lain in contact for the four days with the fly, and those which had not touched it, were compared under the microscope and presented a wonderful contrast. Those which had been in contact were filled with brownish granular matter, the others with homogeneous fluid. There could therefore be no doubt that the former had absorbed matter from the fly.
(2) Small bits of roast meat, placed on a leaf, always caused much acid secretion in the course of a few hours—in one case within 40 m. When thin fibres of meat were laid along the margin of a leaf which stood almost upright, the secretion ran down to the ground. Angular bits of meat, placed in little pools of the secretion near the margin, were in the course of
* ‘English Botany,’ by Sir J.E. Smith; with coloured figures by J. Sowerby; edit. of 1832, tab. 24, 25, 26. [page 382]
two or three days much reduced in size, rounded, rendered more or less colourless and transparent, and so much softened that they fell to pieces on the slightest touch. In only one instance was a very minute particle completely dissolved, and this occurred within 48 hrs. When only a small amount of secretion was excited, this was generally absorbed in from 24 hrs. to 48 hrs.; the glands being left dry. But when the supply of secretion was copious, round either a single rather large bit of meat, or round several small bits, the glands did not become dry until six or seven days had elapsed. The most rapid case of absorption observed by me was when a small drop of an infusion of raw meat was placed on a leaf, for the glands here became almost dry in 3 hrs. 20 m. Glands excited by small particles of meat, and which have quickly absorbed their own secretion, begin to secrete again in the course of seven or eight days from the time when the meat was given them.
(3) Three minute cubes of tough cartilage from the leg-bone of a sheep were laid on a leaf. After 10 hrs. 30 m. some acid secretion was excited, but the cartilage appeared little or not at all affected. After 24 hrs. the cubes were rounded and much reduced in size; after 32 hrs. they were softened to the centre, and one was quite liquefied; after 35 hrs. mere traces of solid cartilage were left; and after 48 hrs. a trace could still be seen through a lens in only one of the three. After 82 hrs. not only were all three cubes completely liquefied, but all the secretion was absorbed and the glands left dry.
(4) Small cubes of albumen were placed on a leaf; in 8 hrs. feebly acid secretion extended to a distance of nearly 1/10 of an inch round them, and the angles of one cube were rounded. After 24 hrs. the angles of all the cubes were rounded, and they were rendered throughout very tender; after 30 hrs. the secretion began to decrease, and after 48 hrs. the glands were left dry; but very minute bits of albumen were still left undissolved.