432 



NATURAL SCIENCE. 



Dec, 



cone ; the thin shell- wall, and the lining of the apex by secondary calcite. 

 The only differences to be detected from the figures are the cigar-like 

 swelling of the slightly smaller phragmacone in Nanno, and the straighter 

 external edge of the siphuncular passage in Endoceras belemniti forme . 

 These, however, are features of specific value at the very most, and 

 it certainly seems that Clarke describes his specimens as representing 

 " a new cephalopodan type," only because, in a state of obUvion 

 most unusual with him, he has overlooked not merely Holm's elabo- 

 rate paper but also Foord's well-known Catalogue of Fossil Cepha- 

 lopoda in the British Museum. Whether Holm, who discussed the 

 affinities of his species, will now be incHned to accept its generic 

 independence must be left for him to say. But before these new 



Fig. 4. — Endoceras bdemnitiforme. Holm. a. Apical portion of phragmacone, 

 covered with test. b. Internal cast of the same, denuded of the test, showing 

 two septa, f. Sagittal section of the same, showing conical chamber [cc) at 

 the apex of the siphuncular passage, some of the loculi {sc) separated from the 

 siphuncular passage by the septal necks, and the secondary calcareous deposit 

 (cd) lining the apex. d. Internal cast of the siphuncular passage and 

 protoconch. e. Side view of same ; compare Fig. 3 h. All x .6. 



(Drawing by A. H. Foord, after G. Holm ; the block kindly lent by Dr. H. 



Woodward, F.R.S.) 



names find general acceptance, one would be glad of some hint as to 

 their meaning. Aulenia, every schoolboy will tell you, means a piece 

 of music for the flute ; but Nanno — what is Nanno ? As a Japanese 

 would say, " nanno ? , of what ? "■' 



To return to the meaning and structure of these undoubtedly 

 interesting forms. There is, I submit, no evidence that Nanno 



^ Since this was in type. Dr. Clarke, whom I had informed of m.y sanguinary 

 intentions towards his offspring, has kindly written me on the subject. He says, 

 " I do not at all agree with Holm in placing the shell within the limits of Endoceras 

 . . . the true Endoceras is septate to the narrowest apical extremity which has 

 been observed." Also, "Nanno is a reactionary euphemism. I had thought at 

 first to call it Featherstonhaughoccras, after an early explorer of Minnesota, but my 

 mind gave way, and so I wrote it Nanno, though she is only a dead nymph who was 

 fond of a flute." Dr. Clarke has clearly a larger circle of female acquaintance than 

 was possessed by the compilers of my various classical dictionaries ; and for this 

 the gods should undoubtedly still be praised. 



