No. 376.] REVIEWS OF RECENT LITERATURE. 289 
single rod. Rarely are the rods placed end to end, forming a thread 
imbedded in mucilage. Mucilage is not formed by the transforma- 
tion of the cell wall. Meyer further demonstrates that an abun- 
dance of mucilage is formed between the two rods in the process of 
cell division, but is difficult to demonstrate during the early stages. 
In the motile stages it occurs only between the two rods, but in the 
resting stage mucilage rapidly surrounds the whole organism. It 
may be noted, also, that a protoplasmic band connects the two rods 
in Astasia and some other species examined. It is probable that 
protoplasmic connection will be found in bacteria where rods form 
chains, or in motile forms which consist of several rods. The 
bunched flagella are lateral, and occur singly or a pair near the 
end, and occasionally a third bunch below. The third bunch, in 
most cases, occurs before division. Vacuoles may be made out in 
stained as well as unstained preparations, and these are axillary, 
much like those of Eumycetes. These differ in form as well as 
number. The Astasia vacuole was compared with that of Hypo- 
myces, in which glycogen was found. The vacuole of dried Astasia 
preparations stains readily, the peripheral portion more intensely 
than the cytoplasm. It is to be expected that the vacuoles of bac- 
teria should often contain concentrated reserve material. 
The bacterial protoplast has some further points of similarity 
with Eumycetes. It has one or more nuclei in the cell, but not 
Biitschli’s nucleus. Bütschli considers that a ‘“Centralkorper” is the 
main part of the protoplast, and that cytoplasm is reduced to a mini- 
mum. Meyer’s nucleus is a much smaller body. With staining 
reagents it behaves like the nucleus of fungi. In cell division the 
cytoplasm contracts, and a nucleus passes into each part. In one 
hour a new cell is formed, each rod containing a nucleus. The 
nucleus is not connected with the formation of the cell wall. Bacil- 
lus tumescens forms its spores in the same way that Astasia does. 
One-half of the cytoplasm of the sporangium becomes clearer, the 
other half granular. In a short time the somewhat more refractive 
fertile cytoplasm of the sporangium contains a nucleus, and the 
whole is separated from the homogeneous plasma by a delicate line. 
The young spore refracts light strongly. A wall forms about it, 
and at maturity it is provided with two walls. In Astasia the outer 
wall (extine) is provided with projections and the intine is smooth. 
A strongly refractive rod may also be observed in the interior. The 
method of spore formation in these species may be compared with 
‘that taking place in Ascomycetes. Astasia, however, never branches, 
