removed from the leaf upon which it had been feeding, returned
immediately it was at liberty to do so, and walked down the fatal cup
as though drawn to it by a species of irresistible fascination.

It is not alone that flies and other small insects are overpowered by
the fluid which exudes from the cord in question. Even large insects
succumb to it, although of course not so quickly. Mrs. Treat says: "A
large cockroach was feeding on the secretion of a fresh leaf, which
had caught but little or no prey. After feeding a short time the
insect went down the tube so tight that I could not dislodge it, even
when turning the leaf upside down and knocking it quite hard. It was
late in the evening when I observed it enter; the next morning I cut
the tube open; the cockroach was still alive, but it was covered with
a secretion produced from the inner surface of the tube, and its legs
fell off as I extricated it. From all appearance the terrible
_Sarracenia_ was eating its victim alive. And yet, perhaps, I should
not say 'terrible,' for the plant seems to supply its victims with a
Lethe-like draught before devouring them."

If only a few insects alight upon a leaf, no unpleasant smell is
perceptible during or after the process of digestion; but if a large
number of them be caught, which is commonly the case, a most offensive
odor emanates from the cup, although the putrid matter does not appear
to injure in any manner the inner surface of the tube, food, even in
this condition, being readily absorbed, and going to nourish the
plant. In fact, it would seem that the _Sarracenia_, like some
animals, can feed upon carrion and thrive upon it.

In instances in which experiments have been made with fresh, raw beef
or mutton, the meat has been covered in a few hours with the