Vol. XXVI t. 



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1 McAll'ine, Tlie Rumaiice uf PUmt Pathology. 129 



In 1843 it likewise appeared in the military barracks in the 

 vicinity of Paris, and even the stout-hearted soldiers were dis- 

 mayed when they saw the bread supplied to them with reddish 

 spots. This " bleeding bread " was regarded as an evil omen, 

 according to the superstition of the period, and w^as the cause, 

 of serious riots. In Victoria it is occasionally found on cheese 

 or milk that has been exposed to a contaminated atmosphere, 

 but I have not heard of any serious consequences arising from 

 it. These organisms are considered to be harmless, and it is 

 only their blood-red appearance which makes them look so 

 formidable and so suggestive of evil. 



Although this microbe is one of the most minute, it has created 

 no little stir in the world, and it has at least taught us the lesson 

 that just as " all is not gold that glitters," so all is not blood 

 that appears in the form of red drops or streaks. 



A New Variety of Wheat (?). 

 ^ A farmer of South Australia noticed in his w^heat crop in 1892 

 an ear different in appearance from the others, and he preserved 

 it, thinking it to be a new variety ; but it was brought under 

 tlie notice of the late A. Molineaux, Secretary to the Agricultural 

 Bureau, who forwarded it to me, and on examining the grains 

 I recognized at once the appearance familiar to me in boyhood, 

 and named " ear-cockle," or " peppercorn," or " silver grain," 

 from the silvery appearance inside. 



Instead of having a new variety of wheat, the farmer had a 

 disease in his grain, and this was evident even to the naked 

 eye, from its small size and black colour. In fact, this little 

 black body is not a grain at all, but a gall which replaces the 

 grain, and it is formed by an eel-worm, just as the potato blister 

 is. You are all familiar with the " vinegar " or " paste " eels, 

 and this one is a near relative. It has been known since 1745, 

 and received the name of ear-cockle from its resemblance to the 

 seeds of the well-known plant called " corn-cockle." Inside 

 the gall there is a white, woolly mass, which is easily removed, 

 and this consists of hundreds of eel-worms of all sizes. These 

 little animals have become rather celebrated on account of the 

 wonderful property they possess of remaining dormant and 

 death-like for a number of years, and then reviving in the presence 

 of moisture. They have been known to become active after 

 being dormant for 27 years : and what a wonderful vitality they 

 must possess, notwithstanding their minute size, to remain in 

 a death-like state for over a quarter of a century and then come 

 to life again ! It will be evident, therefore, that ear-cockle can 

 be easily propagated from year to year, and if the farmer had 

 sown these black-looking, grain-like bodies as a new variety of 

 wheat, along with healthy grain, he would have reaped a similar 

 crop. 



