ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 369 



In cultures the fresh specimens arc spherical, 4-10 p. in diameter, have 

 a delicate capsule, and multiply by budding. In tissue there are, in 

 addition, two peculiarities, viz. delicate connecting processes between 

 adjacent organisms, and a capsule so thickened as to form a kind of halo. 

 In the secondary deposits spore-bearing forms were observed. The 

 spores are irregular in number and shape, and are devoid of capsule. 

 They stain deeply with chromatin stains, and are finely granular. 



Protophyta. 

 j8. Schizomycetes. 



Structure of Bacteria.* — Dr. Feinberg has used Eomanowski's 

 staining method in the study of various kinds of Micrococcus and Bacillus, 

 and finds that it is always possible to differentiate one substance stain- 

 ing red to reddish-brown and another staining blue. As the nuclei of 

 malarial plasmodes, amoebas, &c, stain red to reddish-brown with the 

 stains used for the bacteria (methylen-blue and eosin), while the plasma 

 stains blue, it is argued that the bacteria also show, in variable form, a 

 differentiation of nucleoplasm and cytoplasm. 



Nuclei of Bacteria.f — Prof. A. Meyer maintains that certain small 

 round bodies which become evident, both in the rodlet and spore forms, 

 when bacteria are stained with a solution of fuchsin, are nuclei ; the 

 alternative being, that if they are not nuclei, they must be regarded 

 as new organs of the cells. In number these bodies vary from one to 

 six, and, according to the illustrations, they are located in a promiscuous 

 way. 



Formation and Structure of Bacterial Spores.J — Dr. Miihlschegel 

 thus sums up the results of his researches on the formation and structure of 

 bacterial spores. Spore-formation is usually preceded by the appearance 

 of globules in the protoplasts ; then, towards one pole, there appears a 

 grey spot, having approximately the same size as the future spore, and 

 the globules disappear. Spore-formation is brought about, apparently 

 under the incentive of a nucleus, by the combination of the globules 

 with the interstitial plasma ; and, although the presence of the globules 

 is not an absolute necessity, their potential equivalent is distributed 

 throughout the protoplast. The combination of the globules and the 

 interstitial plasma in the spore substance is demonstrable by staining 

 reagents. The structural differentiation of the spore proceeds from 

 within outwards, ending in the formation of a membrane composed of 

 two layers, the endosporium and ectosporium. The difficulty experienced 

 in staining spores is due, in greatest measure, to the resistance of the 

 spore-plasma, and also in a less degree to the membrane. The endo- 

 sporium is stained with difficulty, and may allow pigments to permeate it 

 without being itself affected. The endosporium is converted into the 

 sheath of the young rodlet, and the ectosporium is cast off during germi- 

 nation. While still young the rodlet appears to contain substances similar 

 to those of the spore-plasma. 



• Anat. Anzeig., xvii. (1900) pp. 225-37 (5 pis.). 



t Flora, lxxxvi. (1899) pp. 449-61 (1 pi.). 



% Centralbl. Bakt. u. Par., 2* Abt., vi. (1900) pp. 65-71, 9-7-108. 



June 20th, 1900 2 c 



