ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
227 
previously found that guinea-pigs and mice were susceptible on sub- 
cutaneous inoculation, while fowls and pigeons were refractory thereto. 
He now states that wild birds are susceptible, but that they are so 
in different degrees, for while yellowhammers and greenfinches are so 
sensitive that they soon die, starlings are somewhat refractory. The 
small birds die in 20-72 hours, and on examination present the same 
appearances that are seen in grouse, i. e. hypera3mia and inflammation 
of both lungs, hypersemia of the liver, petechia3 in the intestine. The 
bacilli are less frequent in the blood than in the lungs, where they are 
found in large numbers (cover-glass preparations were stained in a 
2 per cent, aqueous solution of rubin, then washed in water, and contrast 
stained with methylen-blue for 1/2-1 minute; this stained the blood- 
discs red, while their nuclei and the bacilli were of a blue or purple 
colour.) 
Feeding the birds with cultivations gave no positive results, but it 
was found that the contagion could be conveyed through the air, a sick 
yellowhammer in one cage passing the disease on to six others in a new 
adjacent cage. 
It was also found from inoculation experiments that cultivations 
from the heart-blood or lung-juice of mice were less virulent than 
those from birds, consequently the author thinks this may aid in 
obtaining a protective virus. 
Spirillum endoparagogicum.* — Prof. N. Sorokin, who some time 
ago described this interesting endosporous Spirillum, has from recent 
observations discovered that the spore membrane remains within the 
mother-cell. This was effected by using the iris diaphragm, and then, 
when the aperture was considerably contracted, tilting the light a little 
sideways. In this way the outline of the membrane could just bo 
descried ; with much light it was quite invisible. It was also found 
that by killing motile cells with weak iodine solution, a cilium could, 
with high power (water-immersion apochromatic), be detected at one 
or both ends. 
Cultivation experiments quite failed, owing apparently to the extreme 
sensitiveness of the parasite to any added fluid. 
Nasal Bacteria in Health.}: — Dr. J. Wright examined the nasal 
secretion of ten healthy persons of different ages for bacteria. The 
secretion had a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. The germs were 
isolated by the plate method. There were found in six cases Staphylo- 
coccus pyogenes albus, aureus and citreus ; in three. Micrococcus fiavus 
desidens ; in one. Bacterium lactis aerogenes ; in one, Penicillium glaucum ; 
in one. Micrococcus cereus flams ; in one, 31. tetragonus ; and in three, some 
undetermined species. The numerical preponderance of suppurative 
cocci agrees with the results of other authors. 
The author further attempted to determine what was the proportion 
of bacteria before and after inspiration, or in other words, how far the 
nose acts as a bacteria filter. He used Sedgwick and Tucker’s apparatus 
* Centralhl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., vii. (1890) pp. 123-4 (3 figs.). 
t See this Journal, 1887, p G31. 
X New York Med. Journ., July 1889. Cf. Centralhl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk , 
vii. (1890) p. 135. 
Q 2 
