Insectivorous plants / by Charles Darwin ; revised by Francis Darwin.

  • Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882.
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Insectivorous plants / by Charles Darwin ; revised by Francis Darwin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    few of the tentacles moved. Those which were not affected were left for about half an hour, and the particles were then disturbed or tilted up several times with a fine needle under the microscope, the glands not being touched. And now in the course of a few minutes almost all the hitherto motion- less tentacles began to move ; and this, no doubt, was caused by one end or some prominence of the particles having come into contact with the surface of the glands. But, as the particles were unusually minute, the movement was small. Lastly, some dark blue glass pounded into fine splinters was used, in order that the points of the particles might be better distinguished when immersed in the secretion; and thirteen such particles were placed in contact with the depending and therefore thicker part of the drops round so many glands. Five of the tentacles began moving after an interval of a few minutes, and in these cases I clearly saw that the particles touched the lower surface of the gland. A sixth tentacle moved after 1 hr. 45 m., and the particle was now in contact with the gland, which was not the case at first. So it was with the seventh tentacle, but its movement did not begin until 3 hrs. 45 m. had elapsed. The remaining six tentacles never moved as long as they were observed ; and the particles apparently never came into contact with the surfaces of the glands. From these experiments wre learn that particles not con- taining soluble matter, when placed on glands, often cause the tentacles to begin bending in the course of from one to five minutes ; and that in such cases the particles have been from the first in contact with the surfaces of the glands. When the tentacles do not begin moving for a much longer time, namely, from half an hour to three or four hours, the particles have been slowly brought into contact with the glands either by the secretion being absorbed by the particles or by its gradual spreading over them, together with its consequent quicker evaporation. When the tentacles do not move at all, the particles have never come into contact writh the glands, or in some cases the tentacles may not have been in an active condition. In order to excite movement, it is indispensable that the particles should actually rest on the glands; for a touch once, twice, or even thrice repeated by any hard body, is not sufficient to excite movement. Another experiment, showing that extremely minute par- ticles act on the glands when immersed in water, may here