Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 406, 9 March 1892 — THE CARNIVOROUS PLANT [ARTICLE]

THE CARNIVOROUS PLANT

- Mr Dunstan, naturalist, who h as recently retnrned from Central America. where he spent nearly two ?eari ir thestudy of tbe flora and the fauna of the conntry, relates the flnding of a &ingular growth ia ene of the swamps whieh eurround tbe great lakes of Niearagua. He was engaged in hunting Jfcr botanicai and entomological epeeimen», when he heard his dog cry out, as if in agony, from adistaneo. Runtiuig to the spot whenee the animal'a eries eame, Mr. Dunstan found him enveloped in a perfect net>work of what Boeined to be a flne rope-like tissue of roots and flbr«L The plant or vine se3med entirely of bare interlacing stems, resembling T more ihan anything else. thc branches of the weeping-wiliow denuded of its fo!iage, but of a dark, nearly black hue, andc>vered with a thick viecid gnm that exnded irom the pores. Drawing his knife, Mr. Dunstan endeavour€d to cut the animal free, but it wns only \vith the greatest difficulty that lie succeeded in cuttiug the fleshiy muscular fibres. T T«» his horror and amazcment the naturalist then saw that hiß dog's bcdy was bloodstained. while the skin appeare<l tohave been actual!v sucked or puckered in apots. thc animal Btaggered as if from e.s:'iaustion In cutting th-j twig« curle<i like living. pinuons finp;ersi alx>ut. Mr. l>Ufistau T s h.'ind, and it repuired uo Biight iorce to free the niemi>ers from its clingiu£ grasp, whieh !cft the fleah red ard bliBtered. Tlie guni exhuding from tlie vlin» was of a greyish-dark tinge, rern:irkably adheaiye, an<l of a animal od or, po\verful and nai]B< ute|ng to inhale. Tlie native servants Who Mr. l)uiistnii manifested th«? gre;atwt horror of the vine, whieh they <vuli the d«n'il 8 snare T ' and were fuil ofs*.orios ofils death-tleal!nK ponrers. He waa able to discMViT very !ittle ah;>ut the nature of the plant, owing to the difliculty of handlmg it: fbr its grasp ean .only.be torn awny with the lohB 01 skin and even of ftcsh; but, as near :ig Mr. Dunstan could aBeertain, its ]K)wer of siiction is contaih«i in a numbcr of infintesimal uiouths,or little suckers, whieh, ordinArilv cloiwd, ouen for the re* ceution of food. If the substanco is aniiual, the blotKi is drawn off aud caroass or rcfuao th«n (iropj>ed. A lump of raw meat being t»irown it, in the Short space of five «ninutes the blood will l>e thon>ughly drunk cff and the mass thrown aside. Its voracitv is al» uioei 1k voud be)iefl—-Mfderi,