ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 519 



Schizophyta. 

 Schizomycetes. 



Slime-forming Bacterium.* — It is the practice in certain parts of 

 Sweden to prepare a slimy kind of sour milk by placing in the fresh 

 milk leaves of Pinguicula or of Drosera iyitermeclia. G. Troili-Petersson 

 has obtained from the leaves of Drosera an organism which possesses 

 the property of forming a slimy growth in milk. This is a bacillus 

 of very variable size, non-sporing, and provided Avith flagella. In 

 lactose-containing media a red alcohol-soluble pigment is produced. 

 In^media containing dextrose, lactose or glycerin, a slimy substance is 

 formed, which is not soluble in alcohol. This may form a thick capsule 

 around the bacteria. The organism, which receives the name B. Droserse^ 

 is in many respects similar to B. lactoruiefaciens Gruber. 



Study of Azotobacter.t — D. H. Jones has studied types of azoto- 

 bacter from six different soils. Dilutions of the soils were inoculated 

 into flasks containing Ashby's solution, and jDlates poured with Ashby's 

 agar. Ashby's solution is composed of mannite 20 grm., K2HPO4 

 0^2 grm., MgSO^ 0-2 grm., NaCl 0*2 grm., CaSO^ O'l grm., CaCOg 

 5 grm., distilled water 1000 c.cm. From the fluid, cultures a mixture 

 of azotobacter with various other bacteria, protozoa, and fungi was 

 obtained. From the plates, various colonies of the azotobacter type 

 were picked off, and by repeated inoculations of the fluid medium and 

 replatings, pure cultures were obtained. Four different types of azoto- 

 bacter were thus obtained. These all show certain cultural differences, 

 but all have brown pigment-forming properties. The authors then 

 describe in detail the cultural, morphological, and physiological proper- 

 ties of these organisms. 



Mutation of the Diphtheria Bacillus. J — In four diphtheria strains 

 grown upon serum and upon glycerin agar, Baerthlein has obtained 

 three different types of colony : {a) a large yellowish white ; {p) a 

 fine transparent bluish : and (c) a small soft yellow colony. These 

 variants apparently remain true to type. Corresponding with the cul- 

 tural differences are definite variations in morphology, reaction to 

 Neisser's staining method, virulence and power of producing toxin. 

 On some cultures papilla-formation has been observed. 



Metabacterium polyspora, g*. et sp. n.§ — From the caecum of a 

 guinea-piLS E. Chatton and C. Perard have obtained a new type of 

 bacterium. The individuals belonging to this species form multiple 

 spores, the number varying from one to eight. The spores, which take 



* Centralbl. Bakt., 2te Abt., xxxviii. (1913) pp. 1-8. 



+ Centralbl. Bakt., 2te Abt., xxxviii. (1913) pp. 14-25. 



+ Centralbl. Bakt., Ite Abt. Ref., Mi. (1913), Beiheft, pp. 89-92. 



§ G.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, Ixxiv. (1913) pp. 1232-4. 



