APPENDIX A. xiii 



slightly acid reaction. The numerous bluish-white flakes 

 which it contained presented almost the same appearance as 

 at first. Amongst these was found a minute whitish mass, 

 about a line in diameter, made up of very delicate mycelial 

 filaments, partly twisted around a cotton fibre. Near the 

 centre of the mass was a large, brown, flagon-like body, 

 about a-Js"" i^^ diameter, from all parts of the surface of 

 which issued the mycelial filaments whose ramifications went 

 to constitute the rest of the mass. One or two smaller 

 growths were also found attached to some of the flakes, as 

 well as several distinct spore-like bodies of different sizes — 

 mostly of a brownish colour, and having thick walls with 

 granular contents. A group of fine spore-like bodies was 

 also found ; these being larger {^-q\-^' in diameter) and colour- 

 less, rather than brown. Their nature was altogether un- 

 certain. A solution with an alkaline reaction which had 

 been prepared at the same time, and opened after a similar 

 interval, revealed no trace of spore-like bodies, or of 

 organisms ; and two other solutions containing sodic silicate 

 and ammonic bichromate, whose periods of preparation and 

 examination were also similar, were similarly unproductive. 

 All four solutions had been prepared with distilled water 

 taken from the same bottle. 



In another of the boiled silicate solutions which had been 

 rendered neutral by the addition of a Httle dilute phosphoric 

 acid, and which was opened after six weeks (the vacuum 

 being still preserved), two small white masses about yV' i^^ 

 diameter were found amongst the bluish-white flakes, which, 

 on microscopical examination, proved to be masses of 

 tangled and spirally-coiled fibre, having a very close resem- 

 blance to those which had been found in the ammonic 

 tartrate solutions. As was the case with some of these, 

 also, there were, on certain portions of this fibre, plate-like 

 expansions, some of which were irregular in outline whilst 



