24 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. XI, 



Culture "Souche Cham" is highly pleomorphic. Milk is 

 rendered acid, but is not coagulated. D'Herelle's organism 

 should render milk alkaline and coagulate it. In the production 

 of ammonia and in the fermentation (with gas) of dextrose, 

 levulose and maltose, the two organisms agree. As can be seen 

 from the table on page 25 "Souche Cham" differs greatly from 

 B. poncei. Strange as it may seem, "Souche Sidi" and "Souche 

 Cham," the two cultures sent by d'Herelle himself differ from 

 one another. "Souche Sidi" is slightly pleomorphic, but this 

 character is not nearly so pronounced as is the case with ' ' Souche 

 Cham." "Souche Sidi" coagulates milk, whereas "Souche 

 Cham" does not. "Souche Sidi" reduces litmus milk; "Souche 

 Cham" does not. "Souche Sidi" does not ferment (with gas) 

 lactose and adonit; "Souche Cham" ferments both of these 

 carbohydrates with the fermentation of gas (Hydrogen +CO2). 

 "Souche Sidi" does not tally with d'Herelle's description nor 

 with B. poncei. 



Du Porte and Vanderleck's culture agrees with the culture 

 I received from d'Herelle under the name of "Souche Sidi." 

 Curiously enough, however, my description of Du Porte and 

 Vanderleck's culture does not entirely agree with the description 

 given by these writers. I agree with them in so far as the 

 morphological characters are concerned. My gelatin stabs, 

 however, showed liquif action after about eight weeks; they 

 claim that gelatin is not liquified. My litmus was reduced; 

 Du Porte and Vanderleck claim "no reduction." I am unable 

 accurately to interpret the results of Du Porte and Vanderleck's 

 carbohydrate fermentation tests for the reason that they do 

 not state whether fermentation was accompanied by the forma- 

 tion of gas and acid or merely acid alone. I assume they mean 

 gas formation, in which case, as will be seen from the table on 

 page 25, our lactose tests differ. 



What can one conclude from these results? Only this, 

 namely, that different organisms are being distributed under 

 the name of CoccobacillMs acridiorum. I should, moreover, like 

 to suggest that d'Herelle redescribe the organism concerned in 

 his grasshopper epidemic more accurately so that other workers 

 may know to which bacterium reference is made. Judging 

 from the morphological descriptions alone I think d'Herelle has 

 reference to the highly pleomorphic organism which he sent 

 me labeled "Souche Cham," but of course, this is merely a 

 conjecture. Du Porte and Vanderleck found several pleomor- 

 phic organisms native to grassphopers in eastern Canada. 



