THE BEGINNINGS OF HIE. 31 1 



M. Turpin ^ thirty-four years ago, in a paper read before 

 the French Academie des Sciences ; but it has been for 

 the most part disbelieved or unheeded by many who 

 ought to have satisfied themselves by actual observation 

 as to the truth or falsity of what had been recorded. 

 With some rare exceptions, this seems to have been 

 neglected, though the few who have looked for them- 

 selves have been able, in all important respects, to 

 confirm M. Turpi n's statements. 



When some milk is placed in a small vessel, to the 

 depth of about two inches, the larger milk-globules soon 

 begin to collect on the surface of the fluid. After 

 twenty-four hours or more (the milk being protected from 

 dust by an inverted glass), the surface is found to be 

 yellowish and smooth — constituting the most superficial 

 stratum of a layer of cream, the under portions of which 

 are of an opaque white colour. When reflected, this is 

 found to lie on the surface of a bluish-white whey con- 

 taining soft flakes, which, on microscopical examination, 

 are ascertained to be composed of precipitated casein 

 in a finely granular condition, mixed with small milk- 

 globules and multitudes of active Bacteria, In this 

 condition, it has a sour odour and an acid reaction. 

 The white stratum of cream, immediately above, is 

 composed almost wholly of aggregated and more or less 

 unaltered milk-globules, mixed with myriads of Bac- 

 teria. But it is in the superficial yellow stratum, more 



1 'Ann. des Sc. Nat.' 1S37 (Zoologie), t. viii. p. 349. 



