THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 387 



bottle. This, on microscopical examination, was found 

 to be made up mainly of a granular matter having no 

 definite character - though a small number of minute 

 but well-formed Bacteria were mixed with it. The 

 acid solution had remained throughout in the same 

 warm place, but the bottle containing the neutral fluid 

 had not (after the examination on the sixth day) been re- 

 placed in its original situation near the fire : it had con- 

 tinued since this time in a part of the room altogether 

 away from the fire, and yet when this was also examined 

 on the twenty-first day, it was found to present a very 

 cloudy, whitish appearance throughout. There was also 

 a thick flocculent stratum at the bottom, and a very 

 consistent, well-marked pellicle on the surface of the 

 fluid, made up almost entirely of large and well-formed 

 Torula-cells. 



Although the results here detailed, as occurring in the 

 neutral and the acidified solutions respectively, are so 

 strikingly different, still they are by no means singular 

 or peculiar to the particular kind of solution which was 

 employed in this experiment. Phenomena essentially 

 similar in kind may be observed when almost any neu- 

 tral or slightly alkaline organic infusion is employed. 

 I will quote only one out of many experiments 

 bearing upon this point. A short time ago, having 

 prepared a pretty strong infusion of mutton, about an 

 ounce and a half was put, after filtration, into each of 

 two similar flasks. One portion of the infusion was 

 allowed to remain neutral, whilst to the other three 

 c c 2 



