ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 485 



pared with incompletely closed chambers, so that the organism could be 

 exposed to the influence of various volatile substances such as ammonia, 

 acetic acid, formic acid : the author gives minute details in hours and 

 fractions of a minute at which the various appearances occur in the 

 organisms in the drop. 



The author cannot decide whether the plasmoptysis is to be attri- 

 buted to changes in the elasticity of the cell membrane, or to a gradual 

 impermeability of the protoplasm, whether due to changes in the osmotic 

 action of substances inside the vibrio, or in the broth. Similar effects 

 were observed with other vibrios, and also with the hay bacillus. 



Significance of the Anaerobic Putrefactive Bacilli in the Ripening 

 of Cheese.* — A. Rodella, from chemical analysis of cultures, finds that 

 various anaerobic putrefactive bacilli set up fermentations that produce 

 butyric acid, valerianic acid, and caprionic acid, the amounts of which 

 he estimates as salts of silver after the method of Orla Jensen. The 

 author has isolated these organisms, and described their cultural charac- 

 teristics. 



Bacillus leguminiperdus sp. n.f — E. Oven describes a disease 

 affecting the pods of peas and various beans, and which is caused by 

 an actively motile bacillus that rapidly liquefies gelatin. Inoculation 

 of healthy plants showed that the pods were not necessarily affected 

 through any abrasion of the surface. Owing to the greater density of 

 the inner wall of the pod, the disease does not penetrate to this part. 

 A moist atmosphere favours the growth of the organism. The author 

 finds that the seeds may become infected from the soil, and that every 

 part of the plant may be attacked. 



The organism is a short rod • 8 fj. by 2 /*-2 ■ 3 jx, very motile, with 

 polar flagella 2-3 times the length of the bacillary body. It does not 

 stain by Gram's method ; sporulation occurs readily in fluid media, the 

 spore being single, and situated at either end of the rod ; neither fer- 

 mentation of sugar media, nor production of indol, was ever observed. 



The author has named the organism Bacillus leguminiperdus sp.n., 

 but it is probable that other plants besides the Leguniinosas are sus- 

 ceptible to this bacillus. 



Tuberculosis of the "Bee-moth" (Galeria melonella)4 — S. Metal- 

 nikoff finds that to the tubercle of man, beasts and birds, the grub of 

 the " bee-moth " is immune, as is shown by the rapid destruction (under 

 an hour) of the tubercle bacillus in the phagocytes, and in certain cases 

 also in the blood plasma of the grub. When, however, the animal is 

 inoculated with fish tubercle bacilli, these rapidly increase, and the grub 

 dies. 



Bacterial Flora of Bottled Beer.§ — F. Fuhrmann has observed the 

 presence of Pseudomonas cerevisirc in bottled beer ; it occurs as a short, 

 actively motile rod with a bunch of 4-6 fine wavy flagella at one end. 

 On neutral nutrient gelatin at 22° C. it forms round, slightly yellow, 

 translucent colonies cupped in the centre ; after prolonged growth a 

 slight sinking in of the gelatin occurs, though there is true liquefaction 



* Centralbl. Bakt., 2'« Abt., xvi. (1906) p. 52. 



t Tom. cit., p. 67. J Op. cit., l ,e Abt. Orig., xli. (1906) p. 188. 



§ Op. cit., 2 te Abt. xvi. (1906) p. 309. 



