BACTERIOLOGY OF THE OYSTER. 47 



one cubic centimeter of this dilution was plated in agar. Also a 

 cubic centimeter from this tube was transferred to another tube in 

 nine cubic centimeters of salt solution. A cubic centimeter of this 

 mixture was also plated. By this method of dilution the plates 

 contained respectfully one twentieth and one two hundredth of a cubic 

 centimeter of the original shell liquor. The plates were made in 

 duplicate. After the oyster had been drained of its liquor the fiat 

 valve was removed and the other valve containing the body of the 

 oyster was set on the edge and allowed to drain for several minutes. 

 The excess of liquor was then removed with a piece of blotting paper 

 and the region over the stomach was seared with a hot spatula and an 

 incision made into the stomach with a sterile scalpel. With a gradu- 

 ated pipette one-twentieth of a cubic centimeter of the stomach 

 contents was removed and plated another twentieth of a cubic centi- 

 meter was transferred to a tube containing nine cubic centimeters 

 of salt solution and 1 cubic centimeter of this mixture plated. These 

 plates contained respectfully one-twentieth and one-two hundredth 

 of a cubic centimeter. The plates were also made in duplicate and 

 in all cases the average of the two plates was taken as the count for 

 each oyster. The counts given in the table below are for one-twentieth 

 of a cubic centimeter of the oyster juice and the stomach contents. 



