; sometimes four, or even five, which is
the greatest possible number, are found in one flower, some dead, others
endeavouring to disentangle themselves, in which they are now and then
so fortunate as to succeed; these flies are of different species, the
_musca pipiens_, a slender variegated fly with thick thighs, is a very
common victim, the _musca domestica_, or house fly, we have never
observed among the captives.

Previous to our explaining the manner in which it appears to us that
these insects are caught, it will be necessary that we should describe,
in as plain a manner as possible, those parts of the flower which more
particularly constitute this fatal fly trap.

On looking into the flower we perceive five Stamina, the Antherae of
which are large, of a yellow colour, and converge into a kind of cone;
each of these Antherae is arrow-shaped, towards the top of the cone their
sides touch but do not adhere, below they separate a little, so as to
leave a very narrow opening or slit between each, they are placed on
very short filaments, which stand so far apart that a considerable
opening is left between them, which openings, however, are closed up by
processes of the corolla, nicely adapted to, and projecting into them;
at the bottom of, and in the very centre of the flower, we perceive two
germina, or seed-buds, the rudiments of future seed-vessels, surrounded
by glandular substances, secreting a sweet liquid; on the summit of
these germina, and betwixt the two, stands the stigma, in the form of a
little urn, the middle of which is encircled by a glandular ring, which
secretes a viscid honey-like substance, to this part of the stigma the
Antherae interiorly adhere most tenaciously, so as to prevent their
separation unless considerable force be applied; it is, as we apprehend,
the sweet viscid substance thus secreted by the stigma, within the
Antherae, which the fly endeavours to obtain, and to this end insinuates
its trunk first into the lowermost and widest part of the slit, betwixt
each of the Antherae above described, pushing it of necessity upwards:
when gratified, not having the sense to place itself in the same
position as that in which it stood when it inserted its trunk, and to
draw it out in the same direction downwards, unfortunately for it, it
varies its position, and pulling its trunk upwards, draws it into the
narrow part of the slit, where it becomes closely wedged in, and the
more it pulls the more s