304 LILIAN J. GOULD. 
and “sowing” them in test-tubes containing various media, 
e.g. blood-serum, beef jelly, bovril, &e. The tubes were kept 
in the dark at the ordinary temperature of the room, except 
in some cases where artificial warmth was applied. In all 
these cases a very mixed culture was obtained, and it was im- 
possible to say whether the growth was derived from the 
“rods.” In one instance, however, we were able to detect a 
few long bacteria, which probably were those for which we 
were seeking, but it was found impossible to convince ourselves 
that this was the case. 
Furthermore, at Professor Lankester’s suggestion, we tried 
immersing the animals for a moment, some in dilute corrosive 
sublimate, others in strong alcohol, in order to kill, if possible, 
the foreign micro-organisms which would naturally be clinging 
to the surface of the protoplasm, without injuring those in the 
interior. Cultures were made in the same way as in the pre- 
vious experiments, but only one was successful. Here we 
obtained a pure colony of short rod-like forms, which may 
have been the “rods” in a more finely divided state than 
that in which they appear normally in the living Pelomyxa. 
It is probable that, when supplied with abundant nutriment, 
the ‘‘rods”’ would break down and multiply so rapidly as not to 
allow themselves to assume the many-jointed condition which 
Miss Gould has described. 
Other methods were tried, such as the “ hanging drop” and 
“ fractional ”’? methods, but where colonies were produced they 
were of too mixed a character to give conclusive results. 
At present, therefore, our results are negative as regards 
having obtained a demonstrably pure cultivation. 
My best thanks are due to Dr. Ritchie for his kindness in 
putting his apparatus at my disposal, and for his help during 
the work. 
M. D. Hi. 
