﻿442 
  Branner 
  — 
  Bacteria 
  and 
  the 
  Decomposition 
  of 
  Bocks. 
  

  

  position 
  of 
  rocks 
  through 
  the 
  agency 
  of 
  bacteria 
  are 
  different 
  

   questions, 
  except 
  in 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  supposed 
  bacteria 
  of 
  the 
  

   chalk 
  may 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  attack 
  the 
  surrounding 
  materials. 
  

   Trouessant 
  also 
  speaks 
  of 
  Parize 
  finding 
  organisms 
  in 
  plaster 
  

   and 
  of 
  his 
  belief 
  in 
  their 
  power 
  to 
  disintegrate 
  "schistoid 
  

   rocks."* 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Bernard 
  Renault 
  recently 
  published 
  a 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  

   geologic 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  bacteriaf 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  tells 
  of, 
  and 
  reports 
  

   finding 
  bacteria 
  in 
  several 
  coals. 
  

  

  It 
  should 
  also 
  be 
  remembered 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  all 
  bacteriologi- 
  

   cal 
  questions 
  that 
  the 
  methods 
  employed 
  in 
  such 
  investi- 
  

   gations 
  are 
  not 
  at 
  the 
  command 
  of 
  us 
  all 
  alike. 
  We 
  are 
  

   compelled 
  to 
  rely 
  upon 
  the 
  statements 
  of 
  specialists, 
  and 
  we 
  

   need 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  than 
  ordinarily 
  cautious 
  in 
  our 
  discriminations. 
  

   I 
  am 
  therefore 
  disposed 
  to 
  look 
  with 
  much 
  doubt 
  upon 
  the 
  

   finding 
  of 
  bacteria 
  in 
  rocks 
  by 
  anyone 
  else 
  than 
  an 
  experienced 
  

   bacteriologist. 
  Only 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  worked 
  at 
  bacteriology 
  

   can 
  fully 
  appreciate 
  the 
  difficulties 
  to 
  be 
  encountered 
  and 
  the 
  

   precautions 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  in 
  dealing 
  with 
  these 
  organisms 
  in 
  

   order 
  to 
  prevent 
  being 
  misled 
  by 
  faulty 
  manipulation. 
  

  

  *0p. 
  cit. 
  123-4. 
  

  

  f 
  Les 
  bacteries 
  et 
  leur 
  oeuvre 
  geologique, 
  Revue 
  G-enerale 
  des 
  Sciences, 
  Oct. 
  15, 
  

   1896; 
  abstr. 
  Nature, 
  Nov. 
  12, 
  1896, 
  40. 
  

  

  