DUBLIN NATURAL HI8T0BT SOOHTT. 139 



FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 7, 1859. 



His Grace the Archbishop op Dublin in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the previous Meeting having been read, were signed 

 by the Chairman. 



The Rev. Samuel Hauohton, F.R. S., F. T. C. D., and Professor of 

 Geology in the University of Dublin, read the following paper — 



ON SOME POSSIL FTRAMrDELLID^ PROM THE CARBONIPEROUS LIMESTONE OP 

 CORE AND CLONMEL. 



The following fossils were placed at my disposal by Mr. Joseph "Wright, 

 of Cork, and as some of them are new forms, and others excellent speci- 

 mens of rare fossils, they appeared worthy of being exhibited before this 

 Society. 



The genus Loxoncma was formed by Professor Phillips as a provi- 

 sional genus for the reception of many of the Palaeozoic shells, previously 

 named Melania, Turritella, &c. ; and the genus Macrocheilus was sug- 

 gested by the same geologist as a convenient substitute for the Buccinum 

 of the older writers. Both these genera are properly placed by "Wood- 

 ward among the PyramidellidaB. There is considerable difficulty in as- 

 certaining the precise conchological affinities of the fossil shells of the 

 older rocks, owing to the circumstance that the mouths of the shells are 

 generally broken off or concealed by stone. It is, therefore, in many 

 cases impossible to pronounce absolutely on the identity of a fossil with 

 a recent genus; and the most that can be done under these circum- 

 stances is to give it the name of the genus to which it appears most 

 closely allied, attaching at the same time a specific name, suggestive 

 either of the locality in which it was found, or of some other genus to 

 which it is also allied. 



" Loxonema (Phillips, Pal. Foss., Cornwall, p. 98). — Spiral, turricu- 

 lated, whorls convex, their upper edges cidpressed against the next 

 above, without spiral band, mouth oblong, attenuated above, effused 

 below, with a sigmoidal edge to the right lip ; no umbilicus, surface 

 covered by longitudinal threads or ridges, generally arched." 



This genus now includes many Palaeozoic shells, formerly called 

 Melania, Turritella, Scalaria, Rissoa, and Terebra. 



I. *^ Loxonema sulculosa (Melania 8ulculo8a),(F}nL, GeoL, Yorksh., 

 PI. xvl, Fig. 1, a)." 



Some fine specimens of this species were found by Mr. Wright at the 

 Windmill Quarry, near Cork. (PI. xi.. Figs. 1 and 1.) 



II. ** Loxonema rugifera (Melania rugifera^ Phillips, GeoL, Yorksh., 

 PI. xvi.. Fig. 26)." 



This beautiful species was found, for the first time in Ireland, by Mr. 

 Wright, at the Windmill Quarry, near Cork. (PI. xi.. Figs. 2 and 2.) 



