ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 77 



germination and the development of the young filament resemble 

 similar occurrences in Stigeonema, to which genus Fischerella is closely 

 related. Comparisons are drawn between F. major as compared with 

 Stigeonema hormoides, Hapalosiphon intricatus, and H. arooreus. 



Schizomycetes. 



New Gum Bacterium.* — R. Greig Smith describes a new species, 

 Bacterium eucalypti, found in a sweet exudate of Eucalyptus Stuartiana. 

 It forms a gum, levan, identical with those previously obtained by the 

 author by cultivating B. levaniformis in saccharose media. The new 

 species from the latter, occurs in cane-juice and raw and refined 

 sugars ; and it is interesting that the same gum should be formed by 

 two widely differing species. 



Acid-Rennet-forming Bacteria in Milk. — C. Gorini publishes a 

 preliminary note on his latest researches on the normal bacterial flora of 

 milk. The bacteria of milk are usually divided into two classes — the 

 lactic ferments which by the production of acid coagulate the milk, but 

 are unable to redissolve the coagulum ; and the peptonising bacteria 

 (e.g. tyrothrix), which coagulate the milk with a neutral or alkaline 

 reaction and then redissolve the coagulum. But the author has dis- 

 covered the existence of a third class of bacteria which acidulate and 

 coagulate the milk and then redissolve the coagulum. Having first 

 satisfied himself by laboratory experiments that this third class of 

 bacteria is distinct from the first (which acidify, but do not produce 

 rennet), he proceeded to examine the milk taken aseptically from a 

 number of cows of different dairies, and found that in every case the 

 acid-rennet-forming bacteria (the third class) were present normally and 

 abundantly, and have the power of liquefying the coagulum in the 

 presence of acid. He points out the importance of these bacteria in 

 the process of cheese-making. 



Microbe of the "Loque" Disease of Bees.J — V. Lambotte finds 

 that the Bacillus alvei, described by Watson-Cheyne and Cheshire as the 

 cause of the " loque " disease of bees, is merely a variety of the wide- 

 spread Bacillus mesentericus.) The bacillus occurs in healthy hives, being 

 found in the comb and in the intestinal contents of the bees. The 

 characteristic appearance of the disease is brought about by the budding 

 of the bacillus in the tissues of the larva. 



As the result of actual experiment, it is found that healthy hives 

 may be infected by visitors from unhealthy hives, but the most prolific 

 causes of the disease are insufficient nutrition, and want of cleanliness 

 and proper ventilation. Since the spores of the bacillus easily with- 

 stand the action of ordinary disinfectants, the only way of stamping out 

 the disease is to burn all infected stock. 



Compound Cilia.§ — E. Malvoz, in a short paper illustrated with two 

 excellent photographs, gives a historical account of compound cilia in 

 bacteria, adding the results of his own observations upon the compound 



* Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales, xxvii. (1902) pp. 230-6 (1 pi.). 



t E. 1st. Lombardo Rendiconti, xxxiv. (1901) pp. 1279-83. 



X Ann. Inst. Pasteur, xvi. (1902) pp. 694-704. § Op. cit., pp. 686-9. 



