ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
221 
and these, after softening, may suppurate. After a time the disease 
usually becomes generalised, chiefly through the intermediation of the 
lymphatic system ; the parts specially affected are the skin, the respi- 
ratory tract, the lymphatic system, and the testicles. Microscopical 
examination of the material revealed ovoid corpuscles 3 *7-4 fx long and 
2 *4-3 *6 jx broad, the contents of which were homogeneous, and were 
enclosed in a double-contoured membrane. Besides the homogeneous 
plasma the corpuscles may contain a small highly refracting nucleus 
0 * 5-1 * 0 /x in diameter. These bodies, which have the ordinary characters 
of yeast-cells, are either free or are enclosed in leucocytes. The fungus 
was cultivable on the usual media (gelatin, agar, potato), but the colonies 
developed unusually slowly. Examination of a colony showed that it 
was composed of a mycele consisting of hyphse, spherical cells, and a 
large number of spore-like granules. 
Inoculation experiments, with pure cultures and by direct trans- 
ference from one animal to another, failed. As the fungus exists and 
multiplies in the animal body as a pure Sacchavomyces , and as the cultures 
showed transition forms similar to those of the soor-fungus, it seems 
possible that the natural infection may be due to the original and not 
to the fungus form. The name suggested by the author is Sacchavomyces 
farciminosus. 
Actinomycosis.* — Sig. G. Gasperini describes the characters of 
Actinomyces albus and the results of inoculating with it. The particular 
point of the paper is a discussion of the analogies and differences 
between actinomycosis and tuberculosis, both as regards the diseases 
and the parasites. 
Protophyta. 
a. Schizophycese. 
Behaviour of the Cell-Hucleus in the Formation of the Auxospores 
of Epithemia.t — Dr. H. Klebahn states that in this process the bipar- 
tition of the mother-cell is preceded by a qualripartition of the nucleus ; 
each daughter-cell contains therefore two nuclei, one of which becomes 
large, and has the ordinary appearance of a nucleus, while the other 
remains small, and resembles a nucleole in taking up an intense colour 
with haematoxylin. The small nuclei soon disappear, and in the cells 
which result from the conjugation there are only two large nuclei in 
each. During the elongation of these two cells the two nuclei of each 
auxospore unite. The process differs from that in Closterium and Cos - 
marium , in the excretion of the small nuclei taking place before, instead 
of after, the coalescence of the large nuclei, and bears a greater analogy 
to the formation of the directing spheres in animals. 
Schizomycetes. 
Constant Occurrence of Bacteria in Cells. J— Dr. E. v. Hibler states 
that the inclusion of micro-organisms in cells is not only of very common, 
* Atti Soc. Tosc. Sci. Nat., ix. (1895) pp. 292-7. 
t Ber. Versamml. Deutsch. Naturf. u. Acrzte, 1895. See Bot. Centralbl., lxiv. 
(1895) p. 112. 
x Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., l te Abt., xix. (1896) pp. 1-50, 113-36 
(2 pis., 48 figs.). Cf, this Journal, 1891, p. 639. 
