25S W. II. SHERZER — THE GEMS CHONOPHYLLUM. 



logue of Swedish fossils he referred certain rare forms from Gotland to 

 this species of Goldfuss, but upon closer examination he finds them to 

 differ; and he considers Chonophyllum perfoliatum to be identical with 

 Ptychophyllum patellatum, Schloth., sp. The specimens described by Ed- 

 wards and Haime he regards as quite different. Owing to the confusion 

 thus occasioned, he thinks it would be wise to abandon the genus and 

 distribute its species among other genera. Professor Schluter made a 

 personal examination of the specimen for me and came to the same con- 

 clusion in regard to its relationship. He reports it taller than an ordinary 

 Ptychophyllum pateUalum and its septa less twisted at the center, but in 

 other respects similar. Reasons will be given presently for thinking that 

 this cannot be a Ptychoph yllum. In the meantime it seems hopeless to 

 try to draw any generic characters from this specimen or from any of the 

 early literature. If the Swedish coral and those of Edwards and Haime 

 were all that were to be disposed of, this paper would not have been pre- 

 pared. As it is, however, a well marked and interesting group of forms 

 occurs, readily separated from typical forms of all other genera and ap- 

 parently related to the original of Goldfuss. If this type coral is not 

 generically related to these, or if it is referable to some previously estab- 

 lished genus, then a new generic name must be proposed for this group. 

 If, however, it is so related, then it can stand only nominally as the type, 

 and the details of structure must be drawn from other sources. The horns 

 of the dilemma presented us then are(l) to alter the name of forms famil- 

 iar to American paleontologists for over a quarter of a century or (2) to 

 draw the details of structure from the second acceptable species assigned to 

 the genus and general characters only from the original specimen. We be- 

 lieve that we shall meet with the approval of most, if not all, working in 

 this line if we grasp the latter alternative ; and hence we have studied C. 

 ma.gnificum, Billings, in this way and around it have grouped the related 

 species. This is one of the largest and most magnificent of our simple 

 rugose corals, #ie first American species to be described, most widely 

 distributed and abundant, and showing most typically all points of 

 structure. 



G ENERIC ( IhARACTEKS, 



Growth. -The representatives of Chonophyllum must lie classed under 

 the monastres of Fromentel, or organisms which increase entirely by ova 

 rather than by gemmation or fission. In some specimens of C. ponderosum, 

 Rom., however, there is found a central calicinal budding of from one to 

 four corallites, leading to a loose variety of compound growth. The 

 characteristic form is short conical, turbinate or patellate, but a conico- 

 cylindrical growth, with little or no curving, is not uncommon in some 



