Carbonic Acid.—A plant was placed under a 122-oz. bell-glass filled
with this gas and standing over water; but I did not make sufficient
allowance for the absorption of the gas by the water, so that towards
the latter part of the experiment some air was drawn in. After an
exposure of 2 hrs. the plant was removed, and bits of raw meat placed
on the glands of three leaves. One of these leaves hung a little down,
and was at first partly and soon afterwards completely covered by the
water, which rose within the vessel as the gas was absorbed. On this
latter leaf the tentacles, to which meat had been given, became well
inflected in 2 m. 30 s., that is, at about the normal rate; so that
until I remembered that the leaf had been protected from the gas, and
might perhaps have absorbed oxygen from the water which was continually
drawn inwards, I falsely concluded that the carbonic acid had produced
no effect. On the other two leaves, the tentacles with meat behaved
very differently from those on the first leaf; two of them first began
to move slightly in 1 hr. 50 m., always reckoning from the time when
the meat was placed on the glands—were plainly inflected in 2 hrs. 22
m.—and in 3 hrs 22 m. reached the centre. Three other tentacles did not
begin to move until 2 hrs. 20 m. had elapsed, but reached the centre at
about the same time with the others, viz. in 3 hrs. 22 m.
This experiment was repeated several times with nearly the same
results, excepting that the interval before the tentacles began to move
varied a little. I will give only one other case. [page 222] A plant
was exposed in the same vessel to the gas for 45 m., and bits of meat
were then placed on four glands. But the tentacles did not move for 1
hr. 40 m.; after 2 hrs. 30 m. all four were well inflected, and after 3
hrs. reached the centre.
The following singular phenomenon sometimes, but by no means always,
occurred. A plant was immersed for 2 hrs., and bits of meat were then
placed on several glands. In the course of 13 m. all the submarginal
tentacles on one leaf became considerably inflected; those with the
meat not in the least degree more than the others. On a second leaf,
which was rather old, the tentacles with meat, as well as a few others,
were moderately inflected. On a third leaf all the tentacles were
closely inflected, though meat had not been placed on any of the
glands. This movement, I presume, may be attributed to excitement from
the absorption of oxygen. The last-mentioned leaf, to which no meat had
been given, was fully re-expanded after 24 hrs.; whereas the two other
leaves had all their tentacles closely inflected over the bits of meat
which by this time had been carried to their centres. Thus these three
leaves had perfectly recovered from the effects of the gas in the
course of 24 hrs.
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