THE BACTERIOLOGY OF THE OYSTER AND OTHER SHELLFISH. 



51 



We have considered it therefore of importance to examine specially for this organism 

 a number of samples of oysters and other shellfish, as shown in the following table. 

 The methods we have employed are these : — The shellfish have been carefully opened, 

 and the water and "juices" surrounding the animal have been taken up in a sterilized 

 pipette. A freshly-prepared milk tube, sterilized by boiling for one hour, is kept at a 

 temperature of 80" C, and then inoculated and kept at 80° C. for fifteen minutes. The 

 inoculated tube is then placed in a pyrogallate of soda tube (Buchner's method), and 

 in addition the air replaced by running in hydrogen ; the tube is firmly stoppered, and 

 then transferred to the incubator and kept at 37'^ C. Well-marked results were obtained 

 in 24 hours. 



One cubic centimetre of the whey from the above tubes was inoculated sub- 

 cutaneously in the groin of guinea-pigs. The results were noted after 24 hours. 



Large Littorina littorea from the west coast of Scotland. 



