RAINING TREES.

(_By John Murray, Esq. F.S.A. &c._)

The secretions of trees form a curious part of their physiology, but the
influence of vegetation on the atmosphere seems to have been entirely
overlooked, at least as far as it regards its meteorology.

In the case of that curious genus of plants the Sarracèn_ia_, in
which the S. adúnca is most conspicuous, the foliaceous pouch is a mere
reservoir, or cistern, to catch and retain the falling dew or rain.
In the _N_epénthes distillatòria, or pitcher plant, the case is
different; and analysis proves it to be an evident secretion from the
plant itself, independent altogether of the fact that it is found in
the pitcher before the lid has yet opened. I may here state, _en
passant,_ that the results, I obtained from a chemical examination
of this liquid differ materially from those of Dr. Edward Turner. The
_C_órnus máscula is very remarkable for the amount of fluid matter
which evolves from its leaves, and the willow and poplar, when grouped
more especially, exhibit the phenomenon in the form of a gentle shower.
Prince Maximilian, in his _Travels in the Brazils_, informs us that
the natives in these districts are well acquainted with the peculiar
property of those hollow leaves that act as recipients of the condensed
vapours of the atmosphere; and, doubtless, these are sources where many
tropical animals, as well as the wandering savage, sate their thirst
"in a weary land." The Tillánds_ia_ exhibits a watery feature of a
different complexion: here the entire interior is charged with such a
supply of liquid, that, when cut, it affords a copious and refreshing
beverage to man. That these extraordinary sources of "living springs of