ON THE TREATMENT AND UTILIZATION OF SEWAGE. 75 



decaying leaves of cabbages and other plants (fig. 16), often accompanied by 

 other moulds, especially Gladosporium. 



No. 4. I could detect nothing but one or two starch-granules, a few 

 minute inorganic particles like very fine sand, and a little granular matter. 



No. 2. This was richest in organisms of all the samples, contaiaing quite 

 a variety of subjects. The starch-granules were variable in form and size 

 (fig. 5) ; in most the hilum was quite distinct, in some the parallel lines : for 

 better security against error in observation they were tested with iodine. 

 Fragments of cellular tissue were also present (fig. 6), and granular matter 

 slightly discoloured, which resembled vegetable tissue in a state of decay and 

 disintegration (fig. 4) . Several fragments of delicate branched filaments were 

 also present (fig. 7), greatly like the mycelium of some minute fungus ; also 

 the branched upper portion of a thread very similar to those of Penicillium 

 (fig. 8). Minute ovate spores were also present (fig. 9), reminding one very 

 much of the spores of one of the white moulds, such as Aspergillus or Peni- 

 cillium, Larger spores were also present, of an elliptical form, variable in 

 size and proportions from -00035 in. to "0005 in. in length by "00025 in. 

 in width, of a yellowish tint, and rather granular within (fig. 12), In size 

 and character these resembled the spores of Claclosporium in the early 

 stage, before the septa are formed. StiU larger spores were found, but 

 rarely, that were coloured brownish, -00075 in. in length, and -0005 in. 

 in breadth, divided transversely by three or four septa slightly constricted at 

 each septum ; and again with each cell divided in the opposite direction, so 

 that the spores were multilocular, or fenestrate (fig. 13). Fragments of 

 woody fibre (fig. 11) were also present, and a vegetable hair, rather bulbous 

 at the base, consisting of but a single cell (fig. 10). 



The animal kingdom was represented by portions of the fibrils of feathers 

 (fig. 15) and the scale of a Lepidopterous insect (fig. 14). Fragments of 

 inorganic matter were also present in very minute rather angular pieces of 

 what might have been glass or sand ; but tJiis is only a guess. 



No. 1 was largely charged with minute cubic and rhombic crystals, which 

 polarized well (fig. 2), some starch-granules (fig. 1), and the scale of a Lepi- 

 dopterous insect (fig. 3). Besides these was a quantity of vegetable granular 

 matter, broken up cells, and a small quantity of minute quartz-like frag- 

 ments. 



As No. 1 and No. 2 were derived from the same locality, differing only in 

 the quantity of air passed through the wool, and, it is presumed, in the pre- 

 cise time at which it was passed, one cannot help thinking that the same 

 sewer would at different periods of the same day give a diff'erent result in the 

 organisms with which the air is charged. No fungi-spores were detected in 

 No. 1, and none of the curious little crystals so plentiful in No. 1 were visi- 

 ble in No. 2. 



A more extended series of examinations, which would of course occupy 

 considerable time and attention, would be of value in furnishing data for 

 determining problems which are sure to suggest themselves during inefficient 

 or iiicomplete examinations. 



