Notes. 
658 
The organism in question forms non-liquefying porcelain-like white 
or cream-coloured colonies on gelatine, and behaves exactly like 
a Schizomycete when grown on Agar, Potato, and in Broth, Milk, and 
other media. It does not ferment glucose, and when examined in the 
usual way under the microscope it appears as a Bacillus-like form 
2-4 jtx long, and about 1 \i thick, or as ‘ cocci ’ about 1 n diameter 
staining normally by Gram’s and other methods, without movements, 
and with no known endogenous spores. 
Nevertheless, on tracing its development even in alkaline gelatine , 
under the one-twelfth and one-twentieth immersion, it is found to branch 
and to grow by acropetal apical growth. When a short branch-system 
has been formed, the whole segments up entirely into joints like 
Bacilli, which eventually separate at the septa, and are at length cut up 
into shorter and shorter portions almost like micro-cocci or extremely 
short Bacteria. 
From all the evidence there can be no doubt that we have here an 
oidial form of a true Fungus, and not a Schizomycete at all, and 
it raises some interesting questions concerning alleged forms of 
‘branching’ Bacteria, and the very various origins of the different 
micro-organisms commonly grouped together as ‘ Bacteria.’ In 
particular, it is an excellent case in point, illustrating the fact that an 
organism must not be assumed to be a Schizomycete merely because 
it is small, grows on gelatine, and can be stained by the methods of 
bacteriology. H. MARSHALL WARD. 
ON A NEW FORM OF FRUCTIFICATION IN SPHENO- 
PHYLLEAE 1 . — The author gave an account of Bowmanites Romeri , 
the fructification of a new member of the Sphenophylleae. It is only 
recently that the work of Williamson and Zeiller 2 has given us 
a clearer insight into the structure of the fructifications of Sphenophyl- 
lum , which consist of successive and similar whorls of leaves arranged 
in a spike, the leaves of each whorl being coherent at the base. The 
numerous sporangia are seated on the inner and upper side of this 
1 Abstract of a paper read before the Botanical Section of the British Association 
at Ipswich. For the full illustrated description see Jahrbuch der K. K. Geolog. 
Reichsanstalt, Wien, 1895, Band 45, Heft 2. 
2 See Williamson, Organization of Fossil Plants of Coal-measures, Parts V and 
XVIII, Phil. Trans. 1874 and 1891 ; Williamson and Scott, Further Observations 
on Organization, &c., Part I, Phil. Trans. 1894; Zeiller, L’Appareil fructificateur 
des Sphenophyllum, Mem. 11 de la Soc. Geol. de France, 1893. 
