ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
663 
be considerable, but is less in soil poor in organic matter. Exclusion of 
air and abundance of aeration retard the action of B. denit. i, but have 
no effect on B. denit. ii. Sulphuric acid (0 17 per cent.) prevents the 
development of denitrifying organisms. The varieties of denitrifying 
organisms found in different kinds of soils were different from those 
found in dung. They were B. pyocyaneus , B. Jluorescens liquefaciens , 
and B. denitrificans iii. Denitrification is not disturbed by 0* * * § 1 per 
cent, of caustic lime, but is slower in presence of 0*25 per cent.; 
with 0 * 5 per cent, of lime B. pyocyaneus alone caused denitrification. 
Marl had no effect. 
New Chromogenic Saprophyte.* — M. Y. Y. Rodzewitcli describes a 
chromogenic organism which he isolated from Tilletia levis of the family 
UstilagineEe. The organism is a short thin mobile rod let, which, when 
cultivated on the ordinary media, grows well between 20° and 37°. The 
colonies are of a bright yellow hue, and in from one to two months the 
medium is stained yellow. The best media were potato and grape- 
sugar-agar. Gelatin is liquefied. 
The organism stains well with anilin dyes, and is not decolorised 
by Gram’s method. It does not apparently form spores, and is non- 
pathogenic to animals. 
New Pathogenic Tetracoccus.f — Sig. L. Vincenzi isolated from an 
enlarged submaxillary lymphatic gland in a child three months old a 
tetracoccus, designated Tetragenus citreus , which was cultivable on the 
ordinary media. It is a potential anaerobe, is not decolorised by Gram’s 
method, and grows quickly at 25°-35° C. In bouillon cultures a lemon- 
coloured deposit is thrown down. In gelatin plates the deep colonies 
are round and yellowish, and look like drops of wax. The appearances 
in agar cultures are much the same. Milk is not coagulated by T. 
citreus , though the yellow precipitate forms there too. It is not patho- 
genic to rabbits, mice, or guinea-pigs. 
Mobile Sarcina.J — Herr Th. Sames describes a mobile Sarcina which 
was isolated from the drain water of a pigstye. The average diameter 
of the coccus was found to be about 3 p. The Sarcinse stain well with 
the usual anilin pigments and also by Gram’s method. Flagella-staiuing 
showed the presence of numerous long flagella (25-50), which are well 
depicted in the accompanying illustration. The organism grew well on 
all the usual media, and appeared to be equally well adapted for aerobic 
and anaerobic conditions. 
Bacterial Disease of the Hyacinth. § — Dr. E. F. Smith confirms the 
statement of Wakker that a common disease of the hyacinth is due to 
the attacks of a bacterial organism. It belongs to the genus Pseudomonas , 
and has one polar flagellum. 
Relation between Human and Avian Tuberculosis. || — M. Nocard 
is of opinion that it is possible to impart to the bacillus of human tuber- 
culosis the biological characters and the virulence of the bacillus of 
* Wratsch, 1897, No. 5. See Ann. de Micrographie, x. (1898) p. 228. 
+ La Riforraa Med., 1897, p. 758. See Centralbl. Bakt. u. Par., l t# Abt., xxiv. 
(1898) pp. 193-4. % Centralbl. Bakt. u. Par., 2 te Abt., iv. (1898) pp. 664-9 (1 pi.). 
§ Proc. Arner. Ass. Adv. Sci., 1897 (1898) p. 274. 
|| Ann. Inst. Pasteur, xii. (1898) pp. 561-73. 
