74 Profs. H. Marshall Ward and J. Eeynolds Green. 



but filaments up to 20 /x long were found. The growth resulted in a. 

 curious opalescent change in the liquid above the whitish dense deposit,, 

 and it became markedly viscous so as to draw out into strings- 

 Made up in Mayer's solution also, the same viscidity and gelatinous 

 growth occurred, and this both in air and in hydrogen. We have since 

 learnt that this syrup consists of dextrin, cane-sugar, and a little alcohol.. 



Dextrin. 



The difficulty as to the nature of " Dextrin-Zucker " referred to 

 above, led us to try dextrin itself, and owing to the kindness of Dr.. 

 Ruhremann some very pure material was to hand. With Mayer's 

 solution several experiments demonstrated that no obvious growth, 

 occurred, and it was clear that this dextrin is not the same for 

 nutritive purposes as the " Dextrin-Zucker " used previously.. 



Nor was dextrin made up with yeast-water of any use, though 

 occasionally very slight indications of growth occurred during the 

 first twenty-four hours, but no viscosity or sheathed bacteria formed. 



Malto-dextrin, 



Owing to the kindness of Mr. Ling, we were furnished with some 

 prepared malto-dextrin, but neither as Mayer's solution, nor made up 

 with yeast extract, was this sugar of any use as a medium, for the 

 growth of this bacterium. 



Maltose. 



This sugar, made up as Mayer's solution, was found unsuited for the 

 bacterium, either at high or low temperatures. Nor was it more suc- 

 cessful made up with yeast extract ; a faint turbidity and flocculence 

 occurred, but no trace of viscosity at 25° occurred in four days. 



Milk-Sugar. 



Milk-sugar, whether made up with yeast-water, Mayer's solution, 

 asparagin, or peptone, proved quite useless as a food for the bacterium : 

 no signs of growth appeared in the solutions at all, at high or low tem- 

 peratures, in air, or in carbon dioxide. The organism was- dormant 

 only, however. 



Soluble Starch. 



It seemed worth while, in view of the gelatinous nature of vigorous 

 growths, to see how the bacterium would behave towards soluble 

 starch, but in no case could any evidence of growth be obtained in 

 solutions containing 2 per cent, of soluble starch made up with Mayer's 



