630 



SUPPLEMENT 



each other in a parallel direction, and much 

 resembling the unripe down of some thistles. 

 This fibrous matter does not discover any signs 

 of life, or motion, unless water be applied to 

 it ; the fibres then separate, and prove them- 

 selves to be living creatures. These vibrios 

 are in general of a large size, and may be 

 seen with a low magnifying power, being 

 about I- 13th of an inch in length, and 1- 1 40th 

 broad. They are in general of a bright chest- 

 nut colour; the lower extremity is whiter and 

 more transparent than the rest of the body. 

 The upper end is rather round, the lower one 

 is pointed. A distinguishing mark of these 

 little creatures is a row of transparent glo- 

 bules, which are placed at intervals through 

 the whole length of the body. These crea- 

 tures increase in size, till at last they may be 

 observed with great ease by the naked eye, 

 being two-tenths of an inch long, and about 

 one hundredth in diameter. The figure re- 

 presents one of these magnified about seventy 

 times linear. The ovary may be clearly 

 traced almost from the lower extremity to the 

 middle of the body, where the latter becomes 

 so opaque as to prevent its being seen any 

 farther. The eggs, when arrived at their 

 full growth, are nearly of a cylindric shape, 

 both ends rounded ; towards the lower extre- 

 mity there is an opening through which the 

 eggs are extruded. The eggs are formed of 

 a hue transparent membrane ; it covers the 

 young vibrio, which is folded curiously there- 

 in ; these eggs may be frequently found in the 

 grains of wheat containing the animalcules. 



One of the most remarkable circumstances 

 in these animalcules is the faculty they have 

 of receiving again the powers of life, after 

 having lost them for a considerable time; for 

 instance, when some of the blighted grains of 

 wheat, that have been preserved for many 

 years, have been soaked in water for ten or 

 twelve hours, living vibrios have been found in 

 it; if the water evaporate, or begin to fail, 

 they cease to move, but on a fresh application, 

 will be again revived. It may be proper to 

 notice here, that according to the observations 

 oi Roffredi, those eels which have done laying 

 eggs are incapable of being resuscitated upon 

 being moistened ; the same seems to be the 

 case with those that are very young ; it is pro- 

 bable the animalcule must attain a certain age 

 and degree of strength before it is endowed 

 with this wonderful faculty. 



VIBRIO SPECIES. 



1. Vibrio lineofa. Very small, linear vibrio. 2. Vi- 

 brio ruyula. Like a bent line. 3. Vibrio bacillus. Li- 

 near, equally truncated at both ends. 4. Vibrio undula. 



iliform, flexuous vibrio. .5. Vibrio serpens. Filiform, 

 the windings obtuse. 6. Vibrio spirillum. Filiform, 

 8p lf iV7 7> Viirio vei '" l ^ulm. Twisted and gelatinous. 



-o J Brio mtestinum. Gelatinous, round, the fore-part 

 small. 9. Vibrio bipunctatus. Linear, both ends trun- 



cated, two small globules in the middle of the body. 

 10. Vibrio tripundatus. Linear, smaller at the ends, 

 with three globular points, the two which are at the 

 extremities being smaller than the one at the middle. 

 11. Vibrio paodllifvr. Described. 12. Vibrio lunula. 

 Described. 13. Vibrio verminus. Linear, compressed, 

 the fore-part narrower than the hinder part. 14. Vib- 

 rio medians. Linear, with a globule at the base, and 

 transverse line at the apex. 15. Vibrio acus. Linear, 

 with a neck, the upper extremity obtuse, the lower one 

 terminating in a setaceous tail. 16. Vibrio sagitta. Li- 

 near, well-marked neck, apex truncated and open, tail 

 setaceous. 1 7 . Vibrio gordius. Of equal size, tail ter- 

 minating in a little tubercle. 18. Vibrio serpenttdus. 

 Pointed at both ends. 19. Vibrio colidwr. Filiform, 

 tail setaceous, and bending up nearly to a right angle 

 with the body. 20. Vibrio anguillida. Equal size 

 throughout, and somewhat hard, various kinds, of which 

 the wheat vibrio, described, is one, and the eels of vi- 

 negar another. 21. Vibrio linter. Ventricose oval vi- 

 brio, with a short neck. 22. Vibrio utricidus. Round, 

 fore-part narrow and truncated, lower part ventricose. 

 23. Vibrio fasciola. Fore part small, middle larger, 

 hind-part acute. 24. Vibrio colymbus. Thick, sharp- 

 ened at the end, the neck a little bent. 2.5. Vibrio 

 strictus. Lengthened out almost to a line, small to- 

 wards the fore-part, apex obtuse. 26. Vibiio anas. 

 Oblong, ends attenuated, neck longer than the tail. 



27. Vibrio cyynus. Corpulent, with a crooked neck. 



28. Vibrio anser. Elliptical, with a long neck, and a 

 small lump on its back. 29. Vibrio Olor. Elliptical, 

 with a very long neck, and a knob on the apex. 30. 

 Vibrio faloc. Gibbous, hind-part obtuse, neck crooked. 



31. Vibrio intermedius. Membranaceous, fore-part 

 small, hinder part somewhat acute. 



VI. CYCLIDIUM. A simple, invisible, flat, 

 pellucid, orbicular or oval worm. 



" This genus is composed of animalcules of 

 a flat, round or oval form, without any appa- 

 rent cilia. Like some others, they are so very 

 diaphanous that the most delicately finished 

 engravings of them afford but a faint idea of 

 their exquisitely brilliant, crystal-like appear- 

 ance, when viewed under a good achromatic 

 microscope of large angular aperture." 



Plate 35, fig. 62. The azure Cydidium 

 " Is of a flat, oval form. In its usual condi- 

 tion it is pellucid, but when fed with colouring 

 matter, dark spots may be seen as in the en-' 

 graving, in swimming it sometimes rotates, 

 and exhibits its narrow side to view ; if the 

 water be filled with opaque particles, a cur- 

 rent may be perceived towards the front part 

 of it, indicating the presence of cilia, which 

 however can only be seen when the animal is 

 expiring. These creatures propagate by di- 

 vision, during the progress of which they alter 

 their form. They require a magnifying power 

 from 600 to 800 times in order to view them 

 distinctly. Length 1- 1400th to 1- 1800th of 

 an inch." 



CYCLIDIUM SPECIES. 



1. Cydidium bulla. Orbicular, bright. 2. Cydidium 

 milium. Elliptical, and crystalline. 3. Cydidium flui- 

 tans. Oval, crystalline. 4. Cydidium glaucoma. Oval, 

 intestines faintly seen. Described. 5. 'Cydviium ni<;ri- 

 caiis. Oblong, with black margin. 6. Cydidium ros- 

 tratium. Oval, fore-part pointed. 7. Cydidium nudeus. 

 Oval, hind-part pointed. 8. Cydidium hyalinum. Oval, 

 hind-part acute. 9. Cydidium pedicu/us. Oval, convex, 

 the bottom even. 10. Cydidium dubium. Oval, upper 

 part convex, under part concave. 



