28 THE BIOLOGY OF DAILY LIFE. 



To see them your microscope must magnify about 

 1000 diameters at least. 



The Latin-named " BACCILLI" are little rod-like 

 bodies, you distinguish them by their being more 

 than twice as long as they are broad. 



The Greek-named " BACTERIA'' differ little in size, 

 but are stouter, always shorter than double their 

 breadth. 



Like the canes in the hands of schoolmasters of the old 

 regime, these rods have a habit of splitting only their 

 split oifissionis right across, and in the middle, and they 

 do it of themselves ; thus they get as far as " twice 

 one is two " in the multiplication table, yet at the very 

 same stage, like u infant prodigies" of calculation, they 

 go in for higher mathematics and multiply to an 

 amazing extent, by spores. These spores are now 

 believed to be identical with a group called MICRO- 

 COCCI (or little berries) from their appearance. These 

 MICROCOCCI are the nearest practical attempt that 

 Nature has made towards coming to the (mathematical) 

 point; " rarely exceeding a 5000 f an mc ^ m dia- 

 meter, and often being much smaller than this/'* 

 We have just to add a sort of charnel-house or 

 Morgue-brigade to this company, and our Lilliputian 

 army-list is practically complete. These are the 

 " PTOMAINES," or " CADAVERIC ALKALOIDS." But it 

 may be suspected that these are semi-chemical, and 

 not strictly a portion of the living army that waits and 

 lives on Death. 



* " It is now known that rod-bacteria when cultivated can pro- 

 duce spores which can divide and sub-divide again, and which, in 

 their physical character, are undistinguished from micrococci." 

 " Quain's Dictionary" p. 975. 



