File:Birds and nature (1900) (14752197461).jpg

Identifier: birdsnature851900chic (find matches)
Title: Birds and nature
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Birds Natural history
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Mumford, Publisher
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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curious leaf, itnaturally follows the trail up to the rimof the urn where the nectar is abundant.If it attempts to descend into the urn itslips on the glazed zone and falls intothe water; and if it attempts to escapeby crawling up the side of the urn, thethick-set, downward-pointing hairs pre-vent. If it seeks to fly away from the rimit flies towards the translucent spots inthe hood, which look like the way of es-cape, as the direction of entrance is in theshadow of the hood. Pounding againstthe hood the fly falls into the water. Thissouthern pitcher plant is known as a greatfly catcher, and is frequently used for thispurpose in the south. The very largest of the pitcher plantsis one which grows in the swamps of Cal-ifornia, whose leaves sometimes becomeas much as two or three feet high, thehuge pitchers forming the most capa-cious receptacle for insects of all kindsand sizes. Its general plan is like that ofthe southern pitcher plant describedabove, in that it has an overarching hood
Text Appearing After Image:
375 PITCHER PLANT.(Nepenthes.) 231 with translucent spots, and a trail of nec-tar which leads to the dangerous rim.. Ithas become further elaborated, however,in that the hood extends into a gaudyfish-like appendage, whose colors andflapping serve to attract the flying as wellas the creeping insects. The pitcher, also,instead of being straight, is spirally twist-ed, and has a wing-like expansion whichserves as a guide in the spiral ascent tothe rim, and leads the victim with defin-iteness and certainty to the region of dan-ger. The fish-tail appendage is alsosmeared with the nectar secretion, so thatany flying insect lighting upon it is en-ticed under the overshadowing arch andis almost sure of capture. The most common pitcher plants of thetropics are the Nepenthes, one of whichis shown in our illustration. It will benoticed that each leaf when fully formedconsists of three distinct regions, name-ly, the leaf-like blade, which is continuedinto a tendtil which coils around a sup-port, a

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