SPIROCHATA BALBIANIT AND SPIROCHATA ANODONTA. 99 
named, it is apparently absent—but this test is uncertain in 
its results. Fungus-cellulose then may be absent. 
Bleu-de-Lyon stained the organisms blue, but only 
faintly. Callose—a supposed constituent of fungus-cellulose 
—should stain intensely blue under these circumstances. 
Fungus-cellulose then does not seem present. 
Strong acetic acid when applied to the Spirochetes 
did not dissolve them; on the contrary, they maintained 
their shape for a long time, though sometimes a certain 
amount of fraying occurred. 
The Spirochetes gave the Xanthoproteic reaction, 
namely, a yellow or reddish-yellow colour after nitric acid 
and ammonia. ‘This shows the presence of proteid. 
Unfortunately little material could be spared for some of 
these reactions, and micro-chemical tests are well known to 
be most difficult on such small organisms. 8S. balbianii 
was usually employed, for S. anodontz was rather too 
small for these purposes. 
Definite conclusions then are most difficult to arrive at. 
On the whole fungus-cellulose may be absent, and a certain 
(? small) amount of a chitinoid substance appears to be pre- 
sent in the periplast and the membrane (compare the cuticle 
of the earthworm). 
AFFINITIES AND Systematic Postrton. 
Affinities with the Bacteria. 
That Spirochetes are Protists is perhaps hardly necessary 
to state, as doubtless all will agree to this. The question 
then arises, are they Protozoa or are they Bacteria. 
Taking first the principal characteristics that rather sug- 
gest their inclusion among the Bacteria we note— 
(a) The diffuse condition of the nucleus, directly com- 
parable to that of Spirilla, and somewhat like that of 
Bacillus bitschlii. 
(0) The occurrence of transverse fission among the Spiro- 
chetes, but this is probably not very frequent. 
