320 THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



little organism were more feebly-tinted violet, or else 

 they were all alike intensely-tinted.' 



A closer examination of these bodies has shown them 

 to be organisms which differ considerably in size and 

 shape on different occasions. They present themselves 

 as very minute globular bodies ; in the form of small 

 cylinders, either single or capitate ; as larger elliptical 

 corpuscles which may elongate into fusiform organisms 

 about -soVo" m length ; or, lastly, as corpuscles with a 

 projecting shoot. Some are motionless, and others 

 display slightly undulating movements. These bodies, 

 from becoming variously stained by iodine, show that 

 a starchy matter is produced during their metamor- 

 phosis and growth. Owing to this fact, and on account 

 of the resemblance of many of them to Bacteria, they 

 have been included by M. Trecul under the name of 

 Amylobacter. 



In other vessels such a change, instead of having 

 been effected throughout the whole vessel, was seen 

 to be still in progress. c One part of the column of 

 latex had become purple from the action of the iodine 

 and sulphuric acid, whilst another had become yellow ; 

 but from the one to the other tint every transition was 

 to be seen. . . . Some other unbroken vessels were 

 very instructive, inasmuch as their latex, not being 

 modified to the same extent, assumed a yellow colour 

 under the influence of the re-agents; only corpuscles 

 (cells) of a violet colour were dispersed throughout its 

 interior, and they were often quite separated from 



