a sort of hood, which is the true leaf. Just within the mouth a sweet liquid is secreted which attracts insects. The interior walls are smooth and slippery, and at some distance from the top there is a fringe of long hairs, as in Darlingtonia. The insects find that descent is very easy, but the ascent most difficult. If they succeed in obtaining a foothold there is the

fringe of hairs to be surmounted, and this is usually a poser for them, if we may judge from the quantity of dead flies always to be found in these pitchers. The plant is found growing in the marshes of North America.

The exquisite little plant shown at fig. 83 is the Australian Fly-trap (Cephalotus follicularis), a native of King George's Sound. The pitchers are green,

spotted with brown and purple. They bear a close resemblance to the ampullas of Nepenthes, and are

Guiana. It bears a slight resemblance to some species of Sarracenia, with which it agrees in its fly-catching abilities. The delicate nodding pink flowers are borne

ES

FIG. 84.

upon a slender stalk, which elevates them above the pitchers. All these Pitcher-plants are inhabitants of boggy places, and are often brought to this country as objects of curiosity. They may all be seen grow

ing in Kew Gardens, where also will be found specimens of everything that is wonderful or beautiful in the vegetable world.

There is a remarkable genus of tropical plants, which are also entitled to rank as Pitcher-plants, though they are not so called. We allude to the Tillandsias, or Tree-pines, which grow abundantly over the trees of Southern and Central America and the West Indies. Their leaves are dilated at the base into a cavity capable of containing more than a pint of fluid. From the channelled form of their leaves they catch large quantities of rain and dew which run into the basal cavity. Thirsty travellers are often thankful for the store of cool water thus retained for their use, even though it does sometimes contain a few dead insects, overtaken, doubtless, in their cups. A remarkable thing about this Tillandsia is, that its reservoirs afford a habitat for a waterplant, a species of Bladderwort (Utricularia), which is found nowhere else but in the leaves of the Treepine. The Bladderwort throws out runners which seek the nearest neighbouring leaf of Tillandsia, and there form a new plant, which sends out more runners, and in this way a number of Tillandsias are sometimes seen connected.

We cannot boast, among the botanical productions of our own country, the possession of a genuine Pitcher-plant; but that is no reason why we should not make the most of what we have. In the common Teazle (Dipsacus sylvestris) we have our nearest approach to a pitcher. The opposite leaves are united at their bases, and thus form a sort of basin

which collects the rain and dew. Sometimes as much as half a pint of clear liquid may be found in

ES

FIG. 85.

this natural cup, and pedestrians

on a warm summer day might be glad to stop and take a drink from this stately plant, were it not that insects will persist in committing suicide in it. The following note communicated to " Science Gossip," 1879, by Mr. J. Saunders, well illustrates our remark about this plant. He says: "This plant grows plentifully on some parts of the Crumbles, Eastbourne, and during the present season it has illustrated in a striking manner the use of the connate bases of its leaves. The excessive rains of the month of June filled the whole of the connate cups with water; and, notwithstanding the boisterous winds, the stems were sufficiently rigid to resist their action to such an extent as to preserve a good supply of the fluid, especially in the lowest pairs of leaves. On examining them, it appeared that every cup had caused the death of a goodly number of the enemies of the plant, such as ants, caterpillars, earwigs, and such like small deer. There were at least ten or a dozen creatures drowned in the lowest cup of each plant. A few were to be found in some of the higher cups, and in such cases nearly all of the leaves, forming the receptacles, had contact with adjacent plants. The inference seemed perfectly sound that the leaves were so modified as to collect

the rain-water in which small creatures could be drowned, whose visits would be detrimental to the reproductive organs of the plant." In former times this water was collected by ladies for use as a cosmetic; it also had a reputation as a cure for inflamed eyes.

So much for the Pitchers! We think we have still some remarkable plants to call our readers' attention to. We have described plants which possess no leaves, but we wish now to have a word concerning one that possesses neither leaf nor stem-being, in fact, only a flower! This remarkable plant is a native of Java and Sumatra, where it was discovered in 1818. Imagine the feelings of Sir Stamford Raffles, Lady Raffles, and Dr. Arnold-who were in that year exploring the interior of Sumatra—on suddenly coming across a gigantic flower over a yard across! Such a production had never been heard of before, and no little surprise was created when drawings and descriptions were sent home to England. To give honour to its discoverers, their names were embodied in the scientific name given to the flower — thus Rafflesia Arnoldi. Here is Dr. Joseph Arnold's account of its discovery:-"I had ventured some way from the party, when one of the Malay servants came running to me with wonder in his eyes, and said, 'Come with me, sir, come! a flower, very large, beautiful, wonderful!' I immediately went with the man about a hundred yards in the jungle, and he pointed to a flower growing close to the ground under the rushes, which was truly astonishing.

The whole flower was of a very thick substance, the

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