52 RELATIONSHIPS OF THE COCCACE^ 



independently in forms exactly resembling non-motile 

 forms in every other respect. On account of its rarity 

 and this apparent lack of correlation with other differ- 

 ences, the property of motility was omitted in our work. 



Spores. The experiments carried out by Ellis (1902) 

 strongly suggest the presence of specially resistant cells 

 in old cultures of the cocci. His figures are, however, 

 by no means conclusive as to the existence of true spores. 

 In the absence of any observations as to germination, 

 we have not felt that the evidence warranted extensive 

 study of this character. 



Fission. A study of the conditions influencing the 

 growth-forms of the Coccaceae might be of considerable 

 interest. Pairs and chains are apparently associated 

 with meager, and groups and packets with more abun- 

 dant, development. The effect of the general rate of 

 growth must, however, be modified by the rate at which 

 cell -wall and cell -protoplasm, respectively, are formed. 

 A careful study of the method by which groupings 

 arise in cell-division, such as could be made by the 

 use of Hill's hanging-block method, might throw much 

 light on all such points. In the present study, how- 

 ever, we limited ourselves to the observations made on 

 stained preparations from ordinary cultures. 



Capsules. Considerable preliminary work failed to 

 indicate any constant differences in capsule formation 

 among the cocci studied. This character appears to be 

 of considerable value among the diplococci (Buerger, 



