ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 485 



Bacterial Disease of the Larva of the June Beetle, Lach- 

 nosterna.* — Z. Northrup has isolated a micrococcus (which he describes 

 under the name of " Micrococcus nigrofaciens ") from the lesions asso- 

 ciated with disease of the larva of the June beetle {Lachnostema). 

 The condition manifests itself in the joints of the legs, spiracles, and 

 dorsal and ventral segments of the grub, which become black and 

 shiny ; the affected limbs dropping off segment by segment. The 

 micrococcus grows well on ordinary media, but the best growth is 

 observed on " larva-media." Morphology on agar is characterized by 

 flat, glistening, opaque, pale orange-yellow colonies. Experiments with 

 regard to pathogenicity for Coleopterous larvae (Lachnosterna, and the 

 Southern United States June beetle, Allorhina nitida), the American 

 cockroach {Periplaneta americana), and the " angle-worm," were carried 

 out, but it cannot be said that the results of these experiments are very 

 conclusive, nor has it been shown exactly what role another organism, 

 described as the. "gas-bacillus" (? Bacillus septicus in sector um Kras- 

 silstschik) plays in the etiology of the disease. 



The humidity of the soil appears to be of great importance in the 

 prognosis of the disease ; moist soils favouring the rapid spread of 

 infection. The micrococcus was found to be non-pathogenic for labora- 

 tory animals (guinea-pigs and rabbits). 



Bacterial Content of Coai.f — H. Schroeder, working with sterile 

 samples of coal, obtained from domestic coal cellars and from the mine 

 face, was able to confirm Galle's observations regarding the presence of 

 bacteria in coal. As to the origin of such bacterial contents, the most 

 probable explanation is that they are derived from water percolating 

 through the deposits in the coal mines, and should not be regarded as 

 direct descendants of bacterial forms occluded in the original forma- 

 tions. This hypothesis is strengthened by positive experiments on the 

 absorptive action of coal on bacterial solutions (B. coli). 



The bacteria isolated (cocci, sporing bacilli, and B. Welchii) did not 

 produce gas when grown in the presence of gas-free coal, and cannot 

 therefore be held responsible for the production of methane and carbon- 

 dioxide as stated by Galle, whose results may be attributed to the action 

 of fluid (pepton broth) on gas contained in the coal sample. The 

 importance of this question in relation to "gob-fires" in coal mines 

 will readily suggest itself. 



Parendomyces pulmonalis (Plant). J — H. Mautner describes the 

 appearance of a kind of Monilia, not hitherto mentioned in the literature, 

 which was isolated from the sputum in a case of bronchitis of many 

 weeks duration. It appears probable that the infection was derived 

 from pigeons. The sputum, which was of a peculiar malachite-green 

 colour, was found to contain enormous masses of mycelial filaments 

 and conidia of a fungus resembling Monilia Candida Bonorden, ex- 

 cept that the conidia were smaller. The fungus grew well on the 



* Centralbl. Bakt., 2te Abt., xvi. (1914) pp. 321-38. 

 t Centralbl. Bakt., lte Abt., xvi. (1914) pp. 460-9. 

 % Centralbl. Bakt., lte Abt., Ixxiv. (1914) pp. 207-8. 



