494 C. A. LAUBACH, J. L. KICE AND W. W. FORD 



Bacillus petasites Gottheil 21 



Bacillus mesentericus (Flligge) Migula 17 



{Bacillus mesentericus fuscus Flugge.) 



Bacillus aterrimus Lehmann & Neumann 8 



{Bacillus mesentericus niger Lunt.) 



Bacillus fusiformis Gottheil 4 



Bacillus brevis Migula 2 



Bacillus alholactus Migula 1 



Bacillus terminalis Migula 1 



In addition to these previously established types, on four oc- 

 casions an organism was encountered giving the same reactions 

 as the species discovered by Prausnitz in Flligge' s laboratory 

 and described by Flugge (1886) as Bacillus ramosus liquefaciens. 

 This organism was correctly named Bacillus prausnitzii by Tre- 

 visan (1889).' It is distinct from Bacillus mycoides of Flugge 

 but the use of the term/'Wiirzelbacillus" and the name ''Ramo- 

 sus" for this latter organism by both Eisenberg (1891) and the 

 Franklands (1894) with a coincident description of Bacillus my- 

 coides as a distinct species by the latter has led to hopeless con- 

 fusion. Our investigations show that the majority of organ- 

 isms of this group, producing felted growths in the depths of 

 agar, correspond in all particulars to Bacillus mycoides of Fliigge 

 which is probably identical with the ''Wiirzelbacillus" and also 

 with the Bacillus ramosus of both Eisenberg and the Frank- 

 lands. The Bacillus ramosus liquefaciens of Flugge is a distinct 

 species which we shall describe under its correct name Bacillus 

 prausnitzii Trevisan (syn. Bacillus ramosus liquefaciens Flugge) . 



Two cultures were isolated which exhibited the morphology 

 and general cultural characters of the members of the "mesen- 

 tericus" group but produced an abundant yellow pigment. At 

 first we were inclined to regard this organism as identical with 

 the species described by Sternberg (1892) as Bacillus suUilis 

 similis, but the morphology was so clearly that of the mesenteri- 

 cus type that it was deemed best to describe it as a new variety 

 of Bacillus mesentericus to which the varietal name flavus is 

 given. On one occasion a culture was obtained which seems to 

 represent Bacillus ruminatus of Gottheil. It shows the peculiar 

 porcelain-white growth on agar said by Gottheil to be the prin- 



