THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



vacuum was ascertained to be still good, and on breaking 

 the flask, the fluid was found to have a slightly acid re- 

 action, though no appreciable odour. When examined micro- 

 scopically, the flocculi were seen to be made up for the most 

 part of mere granular aggregations (simple, and not in the 

 form of Bacteria). Small Torula cells, however, existed in 

 some quantity ; also a few necklace-like chains, and a com- 

 paratively small number of Bacteria, some of which were 

 tolerably active. 



No. XXXVI. Simple Turnip Infusion after twenty- 

 four hours showed no sign of change, though in thirty-six 

 hours it was slightly turbid. On the fourth day the turbidity 

 was well-marked and general, though there were no flake-like 

 aggregations. When examined microscopically, the fluid 

 was found to contain multitudes of Bacteria. 



No. XXXVII. Turnip Infusion 1 Neutralized by Am- 

 monic Carbonate in twenty -four hours was decidedly turbid. 

 In thirty-six hours the turbidity was more marked, and there 

 was a slight sediment. By the end of forty-eight hours both 

 turbidity and sediment had notably increased. On the fourth 

 day, there was a moderately clear fluid, containing an abund- 

 ance of curdy or flake -like masses, which when the flask 

 was opened, were found to be made up principally of an 

 aggregation of myriads of Bacteria. 



FIFTH SET OF EXPERIMENTS (XXXVIII XLVII). 



Fluids not boiled, but half-filling hermetically Sealed Flasks, 



containing Ordinary Air. 



No. XXXVIII. Turnip Infusion in ten hours showed a 

 slight amount of turbidity. After forty-eight hours this was 

 very well-marked : there was a thick pellicle on the surface, 



1 Some of the same as that which was used (unaltered) in last 

 experiment. 



