6 



it is withdrawn and nspd to inoculate agar cultures. According to Cheshire 

 (26) the bacilli are found in the eggs. In one examination he says he 

 counted nine bacilli from a half-developed egg taken from the ovary of a 

 qneen. McKenzie (28) thinks that this statement requires confirmation, as 

 he was not able to find any infected eggs. 



1 have myself examined a very large number of eggs at various times. 

 In these examinations three difl'<=rent methods were employed : 1. — The eggs 

 were taken from the cells in which they were laid with sterilized forceps and 

 washed in corrosive sublimate, 1 : 500 crushed and placed on agar plates. In 

 many cases typical growths of B alvei developed from eggs thus treated ; but 

 as it might be maintained that the eggs were laid in cells previously infected 

 with B. alvei, and that the momentary immersion in corrosive sublimate 

 failed to kill all the spores that were upon the exterior, the next lot of eggs 

 2. — Were crushed between cover-glasses, a small portion transferred into 

 agar, and the remainder on the cover-glass stained by Gram's method. In 

 several instances the bacillus was found in the crushed egg, and in every 

 case the cultural test confirmed the microscopical examination. Again, as 

 this method also might be criticized for the reasons above stated — (3) eggs 

 were imbedded in parraffin and serial sections made and stained by Gram's 

 method No cnltnral tests were made ; but in a few eggs of several hundreds 

 sectioned a bacillus corr,!sponding in its morphological characteristics to B. 

 alvei was found. All the eggs examined were taken from hives more or less 

 aflected with the disease. 



In view of these fact s, I am of the opinion that the eggs of bees from 

 diseased hives may in some instances be infected. 



Chilled Brood. 



Chilled brood is sometimes mistaken for foul brood ; but the appearance 

 of the former is very different from that of the latter. In the case of chilled 

 brood the larvae turn grey ; afterwards the colour darkens, and in the final 

 stages of decomposition it becomes black. No ropiness develops. 



A number of writers in various bee periodicals have mistaken chilled brood 

 for foul brood, or they have stated that chilled brood turns to foul brood ; 

 but Schirach. ag long ago as 1769, clearly distinguished between the two, and 

 McKenzie (28) also performed several experiments in refutation of the state- 

 ment that if chilled brood is allowed to putrify foul brood may arise de novo. 

 He endeavoured to isolate B. alvei from chilled brood, but without) success. 

 Again, he killed perfectly healthy brood by chilling, and infected some of the 

 cells from a pure culture of B. alvei. The chilled brood were allowed to 

 putrify in a moist chamber for several months and examined with the same 

 results, viz : that in the cells in which B. alvei was placed it was to be 

 found, but not in any others I have also performed similar experiments and 

 they fully confirm McKetizie's contention. So far B. alvei has not been 

 isolated from chilled brood in any stage of decomposition. Canestrini (31) 

 described a case which was in all probability chilled brood and not an infec- 

 tious malady ; but his inoculation experiments failed to establish the patho- 

 genicity of the bacillus, which morphologically resembled B. megatherium. 



Geographical Distbibdtion. 



It has been thought that the disease varies in different countries, that 

 foul brood as it occurs in England is different from foul brood in America ; 

 but as no bacteriological evidence has been produced in support of the con- 



