94 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [mar. 11, 
STATED MEETING. 
Monday, March 11th. 
In the absence of regular business the Biological Section at 
once organized; Prof. Britton in the chair; an attendance of 
fifteen. The minutes of the preceding meeting of the Section 
were read and approved. 
A paper was presented by Mr. A. P. Matthews “On the Me- 
chanism of the Secretion of Gland Cells,” recording his observa- 
tions on the cells especially of the pancreas. In the discussion 
which followed Prof. Curtis, Dr. Lee and Prof. Osborn took 
part. 
NOTES ON CERTAIN VARIATIONS IN THE BIO- 
LOGICAL CHARACTERS OF TWO SPECIES 
OF BACTERIA. 
By Harrison G. Dyar, A. M. 
In no other group of plants or animals are the so-called “ bio- 
logical” characters relied on so completely for the separation of 
Species as in the bacteria. It is evident, from an examination 
of the published descriptions, that the characters in general use 
are often not sufficient to afford satisfactory distinctions be- 
tween the species. Other characters will have to be added, and, 
as only biological ones seem available, I have collected the fol- 
lowing notes to give some idea as to what extent of variation is 
to be expected in the growth forms and products in the com- 
moner media of cultivation. 
I have selected two microédrganisms commonly occurring in 
ing in the air of New York City, both of which can be recog- 
nized by their distinctive colors. 
MERISMOPEDIA RosEA (BuMM.) 
Synonomy.—Diplococcus roseus Bumm, Der. Mik. der Gon. 
Schleimhauterkrank, p. 25, 1885. Micrococcus roseus, Hisenberg, 
Bak. Diag., p. 408, 1891. Micrococcus tetragenus ruber, Schnei- 
der, Inaug. diss., Basel, p. 21, 1889.2? Sarcina rosea, Lindner, 
Die Sarcineorg. der Giihrungsw., Berlin. 1888. 
Occurrence.—(1) A culture received from Kral’s bacteriological 
laboratory at Prague, marked “ M. tet. ruber.” (2) A culture in 
ns 
