GREEN FLUORESCENT BACTERIA FROM WATER 67 



ing bacteria in maple sap. No statements seem to have been 

 made with regard to the value of the Society's chart in the 

 study of the sap bacteria. 



The numbers used for recording the various physiological 

 reactions according to the 1912 Society's chart are given in 

 table 1. The numbers of the 1914 chart are identical except 

 those used for action on nitrates. 



The fluorescent group of bacteria 



This has often been considered a heterogeneous group of 

 bacteria having one property in common — that of excreting a 

 green diffusible pigment capable of causing the medium to 

 fluoresce. &use (1896) believes that the members of this group 

 have little phylogenetic relationship, but rather fall into widely 

 related groups. These special bacteria are obviously more con- 

 spicuous than the non-fluorescent bacteria, and so have been 

 grouped together. By some bacteriologists however, this group 

 has been called a species. 



Ruzicka (1898) believes that there are in the fluorescent group 

 bacteria closely related to the semi-pathogenic organism, B. 

 pyocyaneus on the one side and B. fluorescens-liquefaciens on 

 the other. Some of his data seem to justify this conclusion. 



In Jordan's paper on ''The Kinds of Bacteria in River Water" 

 the fluorescent bacteria are discussed. He studied 58 strains 

 of these bacteria, 33 of which liquefied gelatin. The power 

 of liquefying gelatin was found to be closely associated with 

 the ability to coagulate milk. In other characters the two 

 kinds were much alike. All of the strains studied by Jordan 

 were short motile rods. Attention is called to the apparent 

 identity of many of the various forms described in the literature. 

 He mentions the names of about 50 fluorescent bacteria at the 

 close of his paper. 



A number of questions may be asked with regard to this group 

 of bacteria characterized by a fluorescent pigment. Is there a 

 good reason other than the formation of this green pigment for 

 setting aside these forms into a group? Is this character of 



