BACTERIA 69 



it adopts a bacillary habit and grows as chains of separate 

 cells — the " torula " condition. 



Following up this idea, we might imagine the presumed 

 bacillary ccenocyte to be of growth-cycle significance, for 

 it appears to be the rule that an increase of Continuity 

 within the Individual is an indication of the approaching 

 formation of sexual elements. This is clearly the case in the 

 higher Fungi, and will be shown to be equally so in the 

 case of Continuously Zooidal Individuals. 



It is true that the " lower " bacteria have not been 

 observed to produce gametes, but that is no real objection to 

 the supposition. It is the minute size of bacteria which 

 makes them difficult to study, and as size after all is com- 

 parative, the typhoid bacillus may well be as complex as 

 the motile Chlamydomonas Alga cell, which it distinctly 

 resembles, or the anthrax bacillus be on a level with the 

 cell of the Spirogyra filament. 



Further, bacteria are known to produce " spores " at 

 times. That is, they either become arrested and more 

 resistent and assume a " resting-spore " condition, or what 

 is called an " endogenous " spore is formed within the bacterial 

 membrane. A spore is always due to environmental hostility 

 in some form, and it is difficult to think otherwise than that 

 in Bacteria the phenomenon is one of arrest on a road leading 

 to gamete-formation through an immense bacterial product. 



