THE MULTIPLICATION OF MICRO-ORGANISMS 231 



Thus, again, is shown the immense power of multi- 

 plication possessed by the bacteria in this pure moor- 

 land water ; the phenomenon being most marked in the 

 case of those flasks kept in the incubator at 19 C. 



The experiments conducted by Meade Bolton confirm 

 also the rapid increase which takes place in water 

 bacteria in the first instance, and the gradual decline 

 which sets in afterwards. (See also Kraus's experiments 

 with the Munich water, pp. 294 and 301.) It is difficult 

 to ascertain what was the nature of the water experi- 

 mented with, as beyond the words Brunnen, Quell Wasser, 

 and Wasserleitung (Quellwasser) there is nothing whereby 

 their character can be more accurately defined. Some 

 exceedingly interesting experiments were, however, 

 conducted by this author on the powers of multiplica- 

 tion possessed by particular water bacteria when intro- 

 duced into sterilised potable water and sterilised distilled 

 water respectively. For this purpose two organisms, 

 the Micrococcus aquatilis (see p. 494) and the Bacillus 

 erytlirosporus (see p. 439), occurring very constantly in 

 the water under examination, were isolated and intro- 

 duced, both in large and small numbers, into sterilised 

 samples of water, with the folio wing results : 



Experiments ivith sterilised ordinary Water 



