It is easy to go into evil by the trapdoor of temptation; it is not so
easy to retrace the steps.
The bladderwort is a water-plant and catches much of its
food. Underneath the surface of the water in which the plant
floats are a number of lax, leafy branches spread out in all
directions, and attached to these are large numbers of little
flattened sacks or bladders, sometimes one-sixth of an inch
long. The small end of each little bladder is surrounded by a
cluster of bristles, forming a sort of hollow funnel leading
into the mouth below, and this is covered inside by a perfect
little trapdoor, which fits closely, but opens with the least
pressure from without. A little worm or insect, or even a very
small fish, can pass within, but never back again. The sack
acts like an eel-trap or a catch-’em-alive mouse-trap. These
little sacks actually allure very small animals by displaying
glandular hairs about the entrance. The small animals are
imprisoned and soon perish and decay to nourish the wicked
plant. (Text.)--Prof. W. J. BEAL, _The Popular Science Monthly_.
(760)
=Devil, A Prayer to the=--See CHILDREN’S RELIGIOUS IDEAS.
=Devil’s Slide=--See EVIL, BEGINNINGS OF.