3 1 6 Ward . — Some Thames Bacteria . 
employed by bacteriologists, all suggest its being a Schizo- 
mycete. Nothing but cultivation in hanging-drops could 
have demonstrated the fact that it is not a true Schizomycete 
at all, but an extremely minute Fungus — at least, I presume 
no one will dispute that its apical growth, acropetal mode 
of branching, and other morphological characters constitute 
more important tests than the bacteriological ones. Such 
forms are quite common among the Basidiomycetes 1 . 
In case any one should dispute this, however, it rests 
with him to construct a new definition of the Schizomycetes. 
Meanwhile, I emphasize the point — a point which I have 
insisted on elsewhere — that minuteness, staining reactions, 
rapid growth and the characters obtained in plate-cultures 
do not prove that an organism is a Schizomycete, and nothing 
but micro-cultures, difficult as they may be and are, can ever 
decide the point. 
This point raises another matter of considerable interest, 
however, viz. that of the multiple origin of the group commonly 
known as Bacteria, by which I mean not only the Schizomy- 
cetes proper, but the totality of micro-organisms usually 
grouped with them. 
Excellent evidence exists for the view that the true fila- 
mentous Bacilli (the Eu-bacilli or Endosporous Bacteria of 
De Bary) and the segmenting Bacteria which form no Endo- 
spores (De Bary’s Arthrobacteria) must be regarded as having 
their origin from among the lower Algae, and it is customary 
to refer the former to groups like Oscillatoriae and the latter 
to forms like Nostoc. Whether the group to which Cladothrix , 
Leptothrix , and Beggiatoa are commonly referred can be 
joined to these is a debatable point. 
For the various forms of Sarcina and Micrococcus , again, 
it is not difficult to find analogous forms among the lower 
Algae, e g. Chroococcaceae and Palmellaceae, though it must 
not be forgotten that Micrococci are often merely the ultimate 
segments of anthrosporous filaments. 
Without entering into the discussion as to alliances between 
1 See Brefeld, Unters. aus d. Gesammtgebiete der Mykologie, Heft 8. 
