54 THE ORIGIN OF LIFE 



periments, where the flasks had been so exposed, 

 the conditions had proved very favourable. They 

 had certainly had the advantage of a much warmer 

 temperature, and the influence of the sunlight 

 through the thick glass of the window, as well as 

 that of the experimental tube, if not helpful, 

 seemed clearly not harmful. The Torulae subse- 

 quently found in these tubes were often unusually 

 abundant and large (such as are shown in Plate 

 5, Fig. 26). Bacteria, too, have been often plenti- 

 ful in these particular tubes. 



In regard to the nature of the organisms taken 

 from the tubes generally, an examination of Plates 

 1-5 will show that they have been Bacteria of dif- 

 ferent kinds, Torute, and Moulds; though other 

 bodies have at times been met with, apart from 

 obvious crystals and mere concretions, con- 

 cerning whose nature there has been room for 

 doubt. 



The photographs from which the illustrations 

 have been made were mostly taken at once that is, 

 as soon as the samples of deposit, abstracted with 

 a carefully-sterilised pipette, had been mounted on 

 a clean slide, and microscopical examination had 

 revealed their presence. Only a selection from 



