ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
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cellular organisms, the author would classify these organisms under 
three categories (1) Autoblasts, or free and independently living Bio- 
blasts ; (2) Protozoa, or colonies of cytoblasts, of such Bioblasts which 
have lost their independent existence ; and (3) Metazoa, i.e. colonies of 
cells (or of such Protozoa as have forfeited their independent exist- 
ence). 
Bacterial Diseases of Plants.* — Mr. E. F. Smith confirms his pre- 
vious statement, that a prevalent disease of hyacinth-bulbs in Holland 
is due to Bacterium Hyacinthi. Nearly related to this is an organism 
described as Bacillus Phaseoli sp. n., pathogenic to beans and other 
leguminous plants. It is a short rod with rounded ends, yellow, growing 
on various media. 
Bacillus chlororaphis sp. n.f — MM. L. Guignard and 0. Sauvageau 
describe by this name a new chromogenous microbe obtained in pure 
cultures of Isaria densa. It possesses the peculiarity of producing in 
many nutrient media needle-like crystals of a green pigment apparently 
allied to tyrosin. 
Bacteria with Assimilatory Pigments.J — Dr. A. J. Ewart finds in 
Java the following bacteria, which have a greenish coloration, and which 
show, when exposed to light, a faint evolution of oxygen : — A motile 
green bacterium, B. chlorinum ; a non-motile micrococcus form, Strepto- 
coccus varians ; two forms closely resembling Yan Tieghem’s Bacillus 
virens and Bacterium viride ; a large bacillus form, occurring as short 
rods 2 • 5-3 /x broad and from 5 to 20 /x long, forming colourless refrac- 
tive endosporous spores. B. photomelricum was also abundant. This 
last bacterium resembles the Florideae in containing a pigment, bacterio- 
purpurin, which is a compound assimilatory chromophyll. When treated 
with hot alcohol it splits up into two different coloured substances, 
chlorophyll, and a pinkish-red pigment, which shows a distinct resem- 
blance in colour and solubility to the pigment which may be extracted 
from red Algae. 
New Pigment-forming SaprophyteJ— Herr W. W. Bodsewitscb, 
in the course of an examination of wheat affected with “ Schmierbrand ” 
( Tilletia Itvis fam. Ustilaginese), discovered the presence of B. mega- 
terium, M. tetragenus , M. roseus, and a hitherto undescribed rodlet. 
The latter is very thin and about 0 • 5 /x long ; on the ordinary media 
it grows well between 20° and 37°, the colonies on agar resembling 
yellow wax ; at the same time a yellow pigment is excreted. Especially 
luxuriant is the growth on potato and on grape-sugar-agar, which after 
1-2 months is stained quite yellow. Even on bouillon the scum growth 
and sediment are yellow. Gelatin is liquefied. The rodlets exhibit 
characteristic movements when observed in hanging drops ; they stain 
well with the usual anilin dyes, and also by Gram’s method. Spore- 
formation was not observed, and heating for one hour at 70° kills the 
rodlets. The bacillus is not pathogenic to guinea-pigs. Whether the 
* Bot. Gazette, xxiv. (1897) pp. 188 and 192. Cf. this Journal, 1897, p. 237. 
f CR. Soc. Biol. Paris, 1894 (3 pp.). See Bot. Centralbl., 1897, Beil), p. 244. 
t Ann. of Bot., xi. (1897) pp. 486-7. Cf. this Journal, 1897, p. 569. 
Wratsch, 1897, No. 15, p. 436. See Centralbl. Bakt. u. Par., 2 te Abt., iii. (1897) 
p. 591. 
