238 RELATIONSHIPS OF THE COCCACE^E 



clature. Beyerinck (1905) has recently described an anae- 

 robic, acid-forming sarcina isolated from garden earth. If 

 his observations are correct, this organism offers an inter- 

 esting example of the secondary acquisition of the anae- 

 robic power in a strongly aerobic group. 



The organism described by Gruber as S. gasoformans 

 for a time exhibited the power of gas formation, and later 

 lost it. This phenomenon may perhaps be attributed to 

 contaminated cultures. Such fermentative power has not, 

 as far as we are aware, been recorded in any other case. 

 There remain to be considered the two sarcinae S. fusca, 

 Gruber, and S. cervina, Stubenrath, which are described as 

 producing a brownish growth, and three uncultivated 

 forms, S, intestinalis, Zopf, S. maxima, Lindner, and S. 

 paludosa, Schroter. The brown pigment formers may be 

 slightly modified forms of the yellow sarcinae or they may 

 belong to the genus Rhodococcus. It is impossible to 

 determine their relation without the study of new material, 

 which may come to light in the future. 



