The plants which I received during the early part of October from Kew never opened their leaves, though subjected to a high temperature. After examining the structure of some of them, I experimented on only two, as I hoped that the plants would grow; and I now regret that I did not sacrifice a greater number. A leaf was cut open along the midrib, and the glands examined under a high power. It was then placed in a few drops of an infusion of raw meat. After 3 hrs. 20 m. there was no change, but when next examined after 23 hrs. 20 m., the outer cells of the glands contained, instead of limpid fluid, spherical masses of a granular substance, showing that matter had been absorbed from the infusion. That these glands secrete a fluid which dissolves or digests animal matter out of the bodies of the creatures which the leaves capture, is also highly probable from the analogy of Dionaea. If we may trust to the same analogy, the concave and inner portions of the two lobes probably close together by a slow movement, as soon as the glands have absorbed a slight amount of [page 326] already soluble animal matter. The included water would thus be pressed out, and the secretion consequently not be too much diluted to act. With respect to the quadrifid processes on the outer parts of the lobes, I was not able to decide whether they had been acted on by the infusion; for the lining of protoplasm was somewhat shrunk before they were immersed. Many of the points on the infolded rims also had their lining of protoplasm similarly shrunk, and contained spherical granules of hyaline matter. A solution of urea was next employed. This substance was chosen partly because it is absorbed by the quadrifid processes and more especially by the glands of Utricularia—a plant which, as we shall hereafter see, feeds on decayed animal matter. As urea is one of the last products of the chemical changes going on in the living body, it seems fitted to represent the early stages of the decay of the dead body. I was also led to try urea from a curious little fact mentioned by Prof. Cohn, namely that when rather large crustaceans are caught between the closing lobes, they are pressed so hard whilst making their escape that they often void their sausage-shaped masses of excrement, which were found within most of the leaves. These masses, no doubt, contain urea. They would be left either on the broad outer surfaces of the lobes where the quadrifids are situated, or within the closed concavity. In the latter case, water charged with excrementitious and decaying matter would be slowly forced outwards, and would bathe the quadrifids, if I am right in believing that the concave lobes contract after a time like those of Dionaea. Foul water would also be apt to ooze out at all times, especially when bubbles of air were generated within the concavity.