130 
FRANK S. BILLINGS. 
the distance from each other which they occupy in the mature 
organism. 
The next phenomena is—if you catch it!—an iucrease in 
length of the entire object and the diminishing in volume (thick¬ 
ness) of the non-refracting substance; the pole ends become 
longer and are only connected by a delicate thread of non-refract¬ 
ing substance. Detmers saw this distinctly, and describes it 
when he says : “ If circumstances are favorable, especially if the 
temperature is not too low—a well taken point—these chains 
break up into smaller ones, consisting of one, two or more bi- 
spherical micrococci, which, in separating from their neighbors, 
spin or draw out a very slender thread.”—Report, 1880-81, 
p. 187. 
“ The space, however, gradually widens till finally a separation 
takes place and each link or joint goes its way. * * * A 
competent objective will reveal the existence of an exceedingly 
slender thread—a flagellum—which gradually lengthening and 
finally snapping apart, constituted the connection between the 
separating joints. I have repeatedly seen a post flagellum, but 
so far have never seen one at both ends.”— American Naturalist , 
vol. 16, p. 202. 
The connection now breaks, and you have before you two 
large, coccus-like objects. The next act in the play requires edu¬ 
cated and tireless eyes to catch it to perfection. The separated 
coccoid objects do not remain long round ; they soon become 
oval by an apparently swelling process ; the longitudinal diame¬ 
ter exceeds the transverse. In the meantime others have been 
going through the same process; others have remained attached 
to one another, for it sometimes happens, though not so frequent¬ 
ly as has been said, by any means, that two or more objects are 
attached to one another and undergo this process together. If an 
object glass specimen be colored at this stage, the observer will 
see a most varied picture—it will almost always be so in examin¬ 
ing cultures—consisting of large round cocci, smaller ones, the 
oval, or mature organisms with their peculiar ends and non-col¬ 
ored middle piece ; and sometimes several of them united to¬ 
gether ; the first stage of proliferation when the object is two to 
