xiv THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



others were quadrilateral bodies, such as I have found on 

 other occasions existing separately (Fig. a), and which I 

 believe to be closely related to Sarcina. On the surface of 



Fig. e. 



Spiral Fibre with Sarcina-like bodies attached, from a solution of 

 Sodic Silicate and Ammonic Phosphate. ( X 600.) 



several of the granular flakes there were found very small 

 portions of a similar spiral fibre, which might have repre- 

 sented the nuclei or starting-points of other future masses. 



The resemblance of these spiral fibre masses, and of the 

 Sarcma-like bodies and fungi found in the siliceous solutions, 

 to those which have been met with in the ammonic tartrate 

 solutions is very striking, more especially when taken in con- 

 junction with the fact that neither spiral fibre masses, Sarcina- 

 like bodies, nor organisms, have been met with in the 

 other saline solutions (with which experiment has been 

 made), in which carbon was ostensibly replaced by some 

 other element. It is, moreover, a fact of much significance 

 that no trace of anything like spiral fibres or Sarcina has 

 been found in more than one hundred and fifty other flasks 

 similarly prepared with organic infusions of various kinds. 



