342 



Appendices to Fifth Annual Report 



some difficulty, made out on the surface. In the depressions of the bread 

 paste the growth has a slightly glazed appearance. After some weeks a 

 peculiar silver-grey glistening change takes place in the growth, and the 

 bread-paste looks as if covered with an extremely delicate film of oxidised 

 silver. 



Microscopically. — Bacilli, about 1*6 /x in length, and from '4 /x to "5 /x 

 in breadth. Some bacilli show spore-formation, spores being, as a rule, 

 central. 



This bacillus is that commonly known as the fluorescing bacillus. 

 There are said to be two forms, one which liquefies the jelly (B. fluorescens 

 liquefaciens), and the other (with which that above described appears to be 

 identical), which does not cause Liquefaction — the so-called B. putidus. 

 This appears to be a comparatively common organism. We found it last 

 year in the water from the Tweed, and have found it repeatedly in tubes 

 this year. We have not observed the peculiar odour which is said, to be 

 given out by its growth, resembling herring brine. 



7. White Bacillus. — Tweed — Melrose. 



Plate Cultivation. — Growths become visible to naked eye on the second 

 day in the form of small, round, or ovoid points, as seen by a low magni- 

 fying power, and with dark brownish granular-looking contents. Next 

 day the colonies have increased in size, and already liquefaction has com- 

 menced. The whole of the gelatine very speedily becomes liquid on plate. 



Test Tube Cultivation. — On the second day a bag of liquefaction occupies 

 the position of the needle-track. This rapidly extends, and in about a 

 week the greater part of the gelatine has become liquid. A whitish pellicle 

 in some cases remains on the surface for some time, and gradually sinks, 

 forming a copious whitish deposit. The liquid portions are at first 

 opalescent, but soon all particles subside, leaving the supernatant liquid 

 quite clear. 



Bread Paste Cultivation. — Growth is so rapid on bread paste that, in 

 some cases, the surface soon becomes quite liquid, resembling thick cream. 

 In cold weather the growth is not so rapid; but even in winter the progress 

 is comparatively quick, the growth appearing as a moist, greyish-white, 

 creamy-looking film on the surface of the bread paste. After a time the 

 colour becomes darker, and in cultivations which have been kept in flasks 

 for a considerable time a dark sooty-brown colour develops around the 

 margin, whilst the centre appears greyish-brown. A strong putrefactive 

 odour is given off from flasks which have been kept for some time. 



Microscopically. — Examined in sterilised distilled water, the bacilli are 

 seen to be of various lengths, from 1*5 ft up to 25 /x. The smaller bacilli 

 show exceedingly active movements, so much so that it was quite impos- 

 sible to measure them with any degree of accuracy. Some of the longer 

 bacilli contained numerous bright spores, others appeared quite homo- 

 geneous. They all showed a gliding serpentine movement across the field 

 of the microscope. When dried and stained in the usual manner, the 

 appearance of the organisms varied according to their age and development. 

 Some appeared in the form of single short rods, homogeneous, or with 

 light centre and darkly-stained extremities. These measured on an average 

 about 1 to 1*6 fx in length, and about -4 to '5 /x in breadth. Others 

 consisted of long chains, 7 fx to 15 jx or 25 fx in length, and *7 fx in breadth, 

 and were made up of a series of alternate dark rod-like, deeply-stained 

 bodies, and light unstained spots. The former measured 1'5 /x by *6 /x, 

 and the latter had a diameter of about -4 fx to -5 /x. 



This organism appears to correspond with the Proteus mirabilis of 



