320 THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



little organism were more feebly-tinted violet, or else 

 they were all alike intensely-tinted.' 



A closer examination of these bodies has shown them 

 to be organisms which differ considerably in size and 

 shape on different occasions. They present themselves 

 as very minute globular bodies; in the form of small 

 cylinders, either single or capitate; as larger elliptical 

 corpuscles which may elongate into fusiform organisms 

 about ^oVo'' ^^ length; or, lastly, as corpuscles with a 

 projecting shoot. Some are motionless, and others 

 display slightly undulating movements. These bodies, 

 from becoming variously stained by iodine, show that 

 a starchy matter is produced during their metamor- 

 phosis and growth. Owing to this fact, and on account 

 of the resemblance of many of them to Bacteria^ they 

 have been included by M. Trecul under the name of 

 Amylobacter. 



In other vessels such a change, instead of having 

 been effected throughout the whole vessel^ was seen 

 to be still in progress. '■ One part of the column of 

 latex had become purple from the action of the iodine 

 and sulphuric acid, whilst another had become yellow ; 

 but from the one to the other tint every transition was 

 to be seen. . . . Some other unbroken vessels were 

 very instructive, inasmuch as their latex, not being 

 modified to the same extent, assumed a yellow colour 

 under the influence of the re-agents; only corpuscles 

 (cells) of a violet colour were dispersed throughout its 

 interior, and they were often quite separated from 



