926 ON A REMARKABLE BACTERIUM FROM WHEAT-ENSILAGE, 



central, greater part of which is watch-glass shaped, being situated 

 in a watch-glass-like excavation, now filled with liquid gelatine 

 (PL XII, fig. 2, a, b, c, d, e,) ; the periphery of the colonies forms a 

 somewhat elevated zone or girdle round the inner mass, on the 

 surface of not yet liquefied gelatine, and is made up, in rather an 

 ornamental manner, of more or less elongated fringe-like processes 

 or appendages, the arrangement of which is exhibited in PI. XII, 

 fig. 2, a-e. 



On examination with a low power of the microscope (70-122 

 diam.) the contents of these colonies are seen to be crummy or 

 flocculent. In the interior of the gelatine the micro-organism 

 vegetates much more slowly and does not exhibit that beautiful 

 arrangement of the superficial colonies. 



I examined very young colonies, of from -01 — '05 mm. diam., 

 and in their optical section they appeared, upon the whole, as 

 circles or (not so often) as ellipses, whereas the older colonies have 

 never been found of such a regular shape. But here and there 

 small projecting or retrograding parts were met with in the 

 contours which in themselves were not perfectly smooth and 

 sharp, but looked as if lined with extremely minute teeth or 

 prominences. The contents are finely granular, and of a more or 

 less yellowish-grey colour (transmitted light). 



On investigation with high powers of the microscope all these 

 colonies are seen to consist of micrococci which occur singly, in 

 twos, but more commonly forming strings or chains, often twisted or 

 bent. (PL Xll, fig. 3.) Hence the name Streptococcus for such 

 kinds of micrococci. These chains are aggregated or grouped in 

 clusters (which represent the substance of the colonies). The 

 individual streptococci are more or less globular, and measure 

 about -0014 in diameter. They stain intensely with methylene- 

 blue solution, and other aniline dyes. 



Inoculated into nutritive gelatine in a test-tube (pure cultivation) 

 the Streptococcus grows along the course of the inoculating 

 platinum wire to a slightly yellowish-white, somewhat flattened 

 thread, made up at first of numbers of small beads. It is 

 especially at the free surface of the gelatine that it propagates, 



