GENERAL SYSTEMATIC BACTERIOLOGY 363 



session always of a delicate sharply defined canal, and a very wide, homogeneous 

 or very finely granular, gray, bright yellow or bright orange sheath, whoso cir- 

 cumference decreases gradually toward one end of the thread; dichotomy rare; 

 seldom possible, because of thickness of sheath, to observe the division of the' 

 threads into the long cells. 



Ellis (1913, p. 450) after a study of this organism concluded it to 

 be simply a growth form of Crenothrix polyspora Cohn. 



Melanella. A generic name created by Bory de St. Vincent (1824, 

 p. 4G), It is later described (1826, p. 533) as the second genus of the 

 family Vibrionides. The organisms were described as linear or worm- 

 like, opaque, not coiled in a discoid spiral. 



Bory described at least three species of organisms, Melanella mona- 

 dina, M. flexuosa and M. Spirillum. As a generic name this term 

 seems to have been used by no other writers. Ehrenberg (1828, p. 17) 

 gave Melanella atoma as a synonym of Vibrio lineola and M. erythraea 

 as a synonym of V. rugula. Attempts have been made by various 

 authors to identify his types, particularly Vuillemin (1913, p. 521). 

 This author concludes that good generic characters and recognition of 

 tj^pe species are impossible, and that the name should be rejected. 



Trevisan (1879, p. 148) regarded Melanella as a synonoym of Vibrio, 

 listing Melanella flexuosa Bory and M. erythraea Hempr. et Ehrenb. 

 (1828) as synonyms of Vibrio Rugula. The name is rejected by Erwin 

 F. Smith (1905). 



Melococcus. A generic name used by Amiradzibi (1907, p. 309) for 

 the species Melococcus ostrijanini, an organism isolated from the ali- 

 mentary tract of the bee moth Galeria melonella. The organism in 

 many ways resembled a Streptococcus culturally. Growth v\'as alwaj^s 

 slow. Gelatin was not liquefied. The organism stains well with fuch- 

 sin and by Gram's method. No gas was formed from dextrose. 



It would appear that the description of the organism is inadequate, 

 and the nomenclatural status of the generic name uncertain. 



Meloseira. (IMelosira.) A genus of diatoms created by Agardh 

 (1824). The organisms usually known as Gallionella ferrugenea was 

 incorrectly placed in this genus by Ralfs (1843, p. 351) as Melosira 

 ochracea. This is one of the genera of diatoms commonly recognized 

 today, and the name is invalid as a bacterial designation. 



Meningococcus. A casual name frequently applied to the causal 

 organism of epidemic cerebro-spinal meningitis in man. 



According to Enlows (1920, p. 56) the designation was first used by 

 Foa and Bordono-Uffreduzzi (1888, p. 67). The first use in a generic 



