or Venus's Fly-trap, in botany, a newly discovered sensitive plant.

Every one skilled in natural history knows, that the mimosa, or sensitive plants, close their leaves, and bend their joints, upon the least touch; and this has astonished us; but no end or design of nature has yet appeared to us from these surprising motions: they soon recover themselves again, and their leaves are expanded as before. But the plant we are now going to describe, shows that nature may have some view towards its nourishment, in forming the upper joint of its leaf like a machine to catch food: upon the middle of this lies the bait for the unhappy insect that becomes its prey. Many minute red glands that cover its inner surface, and which perhaps discharge some sweet liquor, tempt the poor animal to taste them; and the instant these tender parts are irritated by its feet, the two lobes rise up, grasp it fast, lock the two rows of spines together, and squeeze it to death. And further, lest the strong efforts for life, in the creature thus taken, should serve to disengage it, three small erect spines are fixed near the middle of each lobe among the glands, that effectually put an end to all its struggles. Nor do the lobes ever open again, while the dead animal continues there. But it is nevertheless certain, that the plant cannot distinguish an animal from a mineral substance; for, if we introduce a straw or a pin between the lobes, it will grasp it just as fast as if it was an insect.—The plant is one of the monogyne order, belonging to the decandria clasps. It grows in America, about 35 deg. N. Lat. in wet shady places, and flowers in July and August. The largest leaves are about three inches long, and an inch and half across the lobes: the glands of those exposed to the sun are of a beautiful red colour; but those in the shade are pale, and inclining to green. The roots are aquatic, sending forth but few fibres, and are perennial. The leaves are numerous, inclining to bend downwards, and are placed in a circular order; they are jointed and succulent; the lower joint, which is a kind of stalk, is flat, length, two-edged, and inclining to heart-shaped. In some varieties they are serrated on the edges near the top. The upper joint consists of two lobes; each lobe is of a semi-oval form, with their margins furnished with stiff hairs like eye-brows, which embrace or lock in each other when they close: this they do when they are inwardly irritated. The upper surfaces of these lobes are covered with small red glands; each of which appears, when highly magnified, like a compressed arbutus berry.—Among the glands, about the middle of each lobe, are three very small erect spines. When the lobes inclose any substance, they never open again while it continues there.

If it can be shovelled out so as not to strain the lobes, they expand again; but if force is used to open them, so strong has nature formed the spring of their fibres, that one of the lobes will generally snap off rather than yield. The stalk is about six inches high, round, smooth, and without leaves; ending in a spike of flowers. The flowers are milk white, and stand on footstalks, at the bottom of which is a little painted bracte or flower-leaf. The soil in which it grows, as appears from what comes about the roots of the plants when they are brought over, is a black, light mould, intermixed with white sand, such as is usually found in our moorish heaths. Being a swamp plant, a north-east aspect will be properest for it at first, to keep it from the direct rays of the sun; and in winter, till we are acquainted with what cold weather it can endure, it will be necessary to shelter it with a bell glass, such as is used for melons. This should be covered with straw or a mat in hard frosts. By this means several of these plants have been preserved through the winter in a very vigorous state. Its sensitive quality will be found in proportion to the heat of the weather, as well as the vigour of the plant. Our summers are not warm enough to ripen the seed; or possibly we are not yet sufficiently acquainted with the culture of it. In order to try further experiments on its sensitive powers, some of the plants might be placed in pots of light moorish earth, and placed in pans of water, in an airy stove in summer; where the heat of such a situation, being like that of its native country, will make it surprisingly active.