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But by the use of our new lenses, and special illumination we my colleague and I were enabled to demonstrate clearly a flagellum at each end of this least of living organisms, as you see, and by the rapid lashing of the fluid, alternately or together, with these flagella, the powerful, rapid, and graceful movements of this smallest known living thing are accomplished.

Such spores when subsequently placed under favourable conditions will germinate and start bacterial activity anew. Some species of bacteria have the power of active motion, and may be seen darting rapidly to and fro in the liquid in which they are growing. This motion is produced by flagella which protrude from the body. Their distribution is different in different species of bacteria.

Its differentiations are a nucleus-like body, not common to the monads; generally a pair of dilating vacuoles, which open and close, like the human eyelid, ten to twenty times in every minute; and lastly, the usual number of four flagella. That the power of motion in these forms and in the Bacteria is dependent upon these flagella I believe there can be no reasonable doubt.

Haying ascertained this, I determined to discover the ratio of thickness between the body of the Bacterium and its flagellum that is to say, to discover how many of the flagella laid side by side would make up the width of the body. I proceeded thus: This is a complicated microscope placed on a tripod, so arranged that it may be conveniently worked upright.