Insectivorous Plants

x, 462, [2] pp. 8vo. Red leather spine and corners, marbled boards, gilt titles and rules. Includes illustrations reproduced from drawings by Charles Darwin and his two sons George and Francis. A study of carnivorous plants related to Darwin's theories on natural selection, based on experiments studying various plant species feeding mechanisms. His findings were that plants had adapted to ignore non-nutritious stimuli like inanimate objects and puffs of wind, as a way of conserving energy. The original edition published in 1875 reportedly comprised a print run of 3000 copies. A second edition was published in 1889.