RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1872-1873]. ['On the movement of the leaves of Drosera'], folio ?. CUL-DAR61.71. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed and edited by John van Wyhe 2.2026. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volumes CUL-DAR 54-61 contain material for Darwin's book Insectivorous plants (1875).

The volume CUL-DAR61 contains Darwin's draft essay 'On the movement of the leaves of Drosera', written 1872-1873. He intended to publish this with a revised edition of Climbing plants before commencing a larger book draft in April 1874 which became Insectivorous plants. See the introduction to this essay by John van Wyhe.


[71]

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(I placed left put atoms bits of meat for 23° on the glandular some glands heads, & then after 23h examined them, as well as others which not had not long before naturally caught minute Diptera; but I could perceive no difference in these hairs from others hair .   Perhaps sufficient time had not been allowed for the [illeg] move of above; for some glands   In some cases, however, the glandular heads had on to which dead flies had been added for time a considerable time, wen do of a pale dirty purple colour or almost colour less , & in other case the granular contents of these cells forming the glands presented a somewhat peculiar had a different appearance. Some of    I thought that they    These hairs which had caught flies [pencil insertion largely illeg] were placed in the same solution of C. of Ammonia, & some the cells, immediately close underlying beneath the glands, some became in some cases quite filled  with segregated granular matter; wherever with the

[See Insectivorous plants, p. 348.]

[71v]

; when in the cells of other hairs    above but had not caught flies & [illeg] [several words illeg] contained only such collections of granular [matter],


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Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

File last updated 23 February, 2026