286 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History. 



specimens of a strictly spherical Micrococcus, occurring usually 

 in doubles, measuring 1 /j- in diameter, with an occasional oval 

 example apparently elongating for division, and then about 

 1.5 fi in length. These micrococci stained readily with methyl 

 violet. 



In the test tube infected from the blood, curiously enough 

 this Micrococcus reappeared in a perfectly pure culture. The 

 fluid, infected July 30, was seen to be milky on the 1st of 

 August, and many micrococci were visible in doubles and 

 chains, the latter being unusually abundant. On the prepared 

 slides, less heavily stained than the originals from the silkworm, 

 these micrococci measured a little less than those of the 

 alimentary canal, the diameter usually falling between .75 ft 

 and 1 fi, rarely attaining the latter dimension. Chains of six 

 or eight were not uncommon. 



The culture derived from the alimentary canal of this larva 

 was unexpectedly impure and not altogether comprehensible. 

 The fluid was observed to be milky August 1, and many 

 micrococci appeared in fresh slides, both in doubles and chains. 

 A perfect film, distinctly stained, but rather pale, shows, how- 

 ever, a variety of forms. Most conspicuous, but not the most 

 abundant, are doubles and short chains of three to six of a 

 strictly spherical Micrococcus, deeply stained, entirely similar 

 to those above described, but averaging smaller, their mean 

 diameter being a scant .75 jw. Besides these are short, broad 

 ovals, a little less deeply colored than the above, of the same 

 transverse diameter, but a fair 1 ^ in length, some, indeed, fall- 

 ing scarcely short of 1.25 ju,. In addition to these and of the 

 same transverse diameter, we see, rarely, rod-like forms, appa- 

 rently bacilli, measuring from 3 ^^ to 4 /« in length ; and, 

 finally, thickly scattered, everywhere more abundant than any 

 oval form, are very minute spherules, always in singles (except 

 in now and then an instance seemingly accidental), measuring a 

 scant .5 i^ in diameter. These are well stained and conspicuous, 

 and unquestionably do not belong to the film. They are 

 extremely like the smaller form of cabbage-worm micrococci 

 which I have already described. Their appearance under the 

 circumstances suggests the possibility of their being bacillar 

 spores, but the bacilli in the film are far too few to permit this 



