10 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIS'. 
acid gas, the “Kephir Grains” are incapable of fermenting 
saccharose, maltose, glucose or fructose, but on the other hand 
are capable of splitting up lactose, hence it is used in the fer- 
mentation of cow’s milk. In a work entitled “Bacteria and 
Their Products,” by G. S. Woodhead, p. 12 (1892), the follow- 
ing interesting particulars are given in connection with the 
latter :— 
“Tn 1882, Kern described the peculiar ferment known as 
kephir grains, by means of which the Caucasians set up a 
double alcoliolie and acid fermentation in milk. These kephir 
grains, says De-Bary, in the fresh living state are “white bodies, 
usually of irregular roundish form, equal to or exceeding a wal- 
nut in size. They have their surface roughened with blunted 
projections and furrowed like a cauliflower; they are of a firm, 
tough, gelatinous consistence, becoming gradually cartilaginous, 
and are of a yellow colour when dried; they are chiefly com- 
posed of a rod-shaped bacterium, many of these being united 
to form long threads, arranged in a kind of felt or network, 
the meshes of which are filled with a tough gelatinous mem- 
brane which binds the organisms together into a kind of zoo- 
gloea mass. This rod shaped organism is known as Dispora 
caucasia as at the end of each rod is a rounded spore. Along 
with these may usually be found a small proportion of a yeast- 
like fungus which, however, is merely entangled in the gelatinous 
mass, although it certainly undergoes development by sprout~ 
ing. 
There is also present the ordinary Bacterium lactis which 
with a number of other impurities adheres to the kephir grains; 
this also occurs in the milk itself. 
To prepare the specially fermented milk, one volume of 
these kephir grains is moistened and added to about six or 
seven volumes of fresh milk, the whole is protected from dust, 
but is exposed to the air for about twenty-four hours at the 
ordinary temperature of the room, and is frequently shaken; 
the milk is then poured off and a fresh quantity added; the 
milk that is poured off is mixed with double its quantity of 
fresh milk, put into bottles, well corked, and frequently shaken. 
This bottled sour milk soon becomes sparkling and ef- 
fervescent, and is ready for use after it has been bottled for a 
day or two. It then contains lactic acid, a considerable quan- 
tity of carbonic acid, which variés ‘according to the tempera- 
ture and the duration of the fermentation, but is sometimes 
sufficient. to. burst the bottle or drive out the corks. 
The liquid contains about. one per cent. of alcohol.” 
