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MEMOIRS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 9 



a brownish cast, and have even edges. At the end of four days the surface colonies are one-half 

 of a millimeter in diameter and yellow. They seldom attain a greater size than this. The deep 

 colonies are punctiform and whitish. xSO. Both deep and surface colonies have much the same 

 structure and neither show any distinctive features, even after ten days. They are yellowish- 

 brown granular disks with even margins. The surface colonies became orange yellow after some 

 days. The gelatin may be softened, but no liquefaction was observed. 



Agar slant. — A thin faintly yellow line forms by the second day, which has spread irregularly 

 near the bottom. It increases rather slowly and becomes viscous or tenacious. The color becomes 

 a golden yellow. 



Gelatin slant. — Forms a yellow baud, with even edges, and not much elevated. If the inocu- 

 lating needle contains but little of the culture, isolated circular colonies about 1 mm. in diameter 

 are formed along the line of inoculation. 



Gelatin stab. — Slight development occurs along the upper part of the puncture, while a 

 yellow button of growth forms on the surface, reaching a diameter of 1 mm. by the fourth day. 

 At the end of ten days the top growth has become somewhat sunken, and in eighteen to twenty 

 days a cup-shaped depression about 5 mm. deep has formed, but no liquefaction can be detected 

 evaporation keeping pace with it. 



Potato. — A moist yellow baud forms along the line of inoculation in twenty-four 

 hours. It soon spreads over much of the plug in a thick moist layer, and the color 

 deepens to an orange yellow. 



Bouillon. — Slight cloudiness is observed on the fourth day, the growth being 

 slow. This increases later, and dense flocculi which sink to the bottom are formed. 



Rosolie acid. — Very slight growth. Color becomes slightly deeper after eight to 

 ten days. 



Litmus milk. — Becomes lighter after a week, and the color is slowly discharged 

 without turning red. There is no coagulation of the casein. 



Sugar gelatin, deep stab. — Growth confined to the surface. No gas is produced. 



Tndol. — Reaction negative. GeLatab. 



Relation to temperature. — Grows somewhat more rapidly at 35° to 36° C. than at room 

 temperature. 



Note. — This resembles the bacillus Flavescens (Pohl) very closely, as far as the published 

 descriptions go. The former is non-liquefying, while this is a very slow liquetier. In fact, no 

 liquefaction could be detected, but was inferred from the depression of the surface growth on 

 gelatin. 



Bacillus Fluorescens Ovalis. 



Found at a depth of 2 feet in a cultivated Held. 



Character. — Facultative anaerobe. 



Morphology. — Short straight rods, with rounded ends, from two to three times as long as 

 broad. Occurs singly. Many of the rods show irregular staining. 



Spore formation not positively demonstrated. 



Motility. — Actively motile. 



Flagella are polar. 



Colonies on gelatin plates. — Colonies are seen at the end of twelve hours as minute translucent 

 grayish dots, x 80. The deep are pale gray, finely granular disks, with even margins. The 

 surface colonies are irregularly circular, pale gray, and finely granular, with even edges. At the 

 end of three days the surface colonies are 1 mm. in diameter aud a bluish white color; the deep 

 are still punctiform. x80. They are yellowish aud almost homogeneous, some faint markings 

 being seen near the center. At the end of eight days the surface colonies are 1 mm. in diameter, 

 circular, with well defined margins, aud greenish white in color. Deep are punctiform. xSO. 

 Deep show no change, except in density and in color, which is now yellowish. Those on the 

 surface are also more dense, and show little or no structure. Near the margins darker lines can 

 be faintly seeu radiating from the center. There is no liquefaction nor discoloration of the 

 gelatin. 



