OF THE VIBEIONIA. 



533 



(Perty). — Wand stout, elongated, and 

 transparent ; articulations distinct, or be- 

 come so when dried ; motion sei-pentine ; 

 form straight when quiescent (xviii. 62). 

 In vegetable infusions and fetid water. 

 Length 1-200"; thickness 1-17200". 



\. sijnxanthus. — Wands (bacilli) very 

 fine and short, rather fiexuose, rarely, of 

 more than five segments (individuals), 



yellow and minute. Corpuscles 1-70000" 

 to 1-52000". In decomposing cow's- 

 milk, in which it produces a yellow tint. 

 V. syncyanus. — Wands very slender 

 and short, somewhat flexuose, of seldom 

 more than five segments, verv small, and 

 of a blue colour. 1-78000" to 1-52000". 

 Also found in cow's-milk, in which it 

 produces a decided blue shade. 



The foLlowiiig species are from Dujardin's work 



V. seiycns (M.). — Body ver\^ long, fili- 

 form, undulating, generally pm-suing a 

 rectilinear course, with from ten to 

 fifteen bends in its length. 1-1050". 



V. amhiyuus. — Under this name, Du- 

 jardin describes a Vibrio with stift' fili- 

 form joints like those of V. Bacillus, but 

 much larger (xviii, 60). Four or five, 1 

 or even more, were articulated together; 1 

 owing to the large dimensions, each joint i 

 could be seen composed of a resistant I 



tube, in which a glutinous substance was 

 more or less closely packed. Moreover, 

 a bifurcation at the extremity of a joint 

 was sometimes seen to occur, giving rise 

 to two rows of branching chains, of more 

 or less length. 



Such observations tend to render the 

 animality doubtful, not only of this 

 Vibrio, but also of the similar but smaller 

 V. Bacillm. 



Genus SPIROCHtETA. — Chains spiral, filiform and flexible, lengthening 

 by the imperfect or incomplete mode of self- division. The details of orga- 

 nization are at present unknown. Dujardin does not admit this as a genus 

 distinguishable from SinriUum ; and Cohn is unable to discover any suf- 

 ficiently distinctive characters between this and the acknowledged vegetable 

 genus Spindina. Spirochceta moves with an immense activity, surpassing 

 what is observed in the recognized species of Spirulina ; but this difference 

 is not suflicient to separate the two genericaUy. Spirulina plicatdis is figured 

 (XVIII. 67, 68). Cohn moreover inclines to the opinion that Spirulina, 

 Spirochceta, and Sj)irillum are members of one common group of organisms of 

 a vegetable nature. The distinctive feature between Spirillum andSpfirulina 

 is the smaU number of corpuscles found united in the chains of the former 

 compared with the latter. 



SpiEOCH^TA/>//cff^«//"s (Vibrio serpens, 

 M.) (x^^II. 63). — Coi"puscles very deli- 

 cate, nearly globidar, connected together 

 in a long, filiform, spiral chain, ha\nng 



numerous and closely -arranged coils; 

 colourless. At Tilbury Fort. Length 

 of chain 1-170" to 1-440" ; thickness 

 1-12000." 



Genus SPIRILLUM. — Developes in the form of tortuous chains, or of 

 inflexible and cylindrical spirals. The incomplete self-di\T.sion, which is 

 obHque in direction, produces the characteristic coiKng of the chain. Motion 

 brisk and energetic. 



Spirillum tenue. — Spiral of three or 

 foiu" coils, constituted of very slender, 

 slio;htly bent colom-less fibres ; articu- 

 lations distinct. In vegetable infusions. 

 Length about 1-900"; thickness 1-1200". 



S. Undula ( Vibrio JJndula, M.) (xviii. 

 59-61). — Spiral of one turn and a-half ; 

 corpuscles short, stout, and much bent ; 

 articulations distinct ; colourless ; when 

 dry, the articulations are more distinct. 

 In stagnant water having a mildew 

 scent. Length about 1-1500" ; thickness 



1-20000". This species, Perty remarks, 

 frequently grows so as to form clusters 

 or masses which are motionless, and, 

 like all the rest of the Vibrionia, never 

 produces true vegetable fibres. 



S. volutans ( Vibrio S^nr ilium, M.), — Of 

 three, four, or more coils ; fibres very 

 tortuous, long-, and stout; articulations 

 distinct ; colourless. In vegetable infu- 

 sions. Length of spiral 1-2200" to 

 1-500" ; thickness 1-14400". 



