264 W. II. SHERZER — THE GENUS CHONOPHYLLVM. 



Cyatkophylluin plicatum, Milne-Edwards. Sec. ed. of Lamarek, t. ii, 1836, 



p. 481. 



Ckonophyllum perfoliatum, Edwards and Haime. Pol. Foss. des Terr. Pal., 



1851, pp. 405-'6. 

 " " Edwards and Haime. Brit. Foss. Cor., pt. iv. 



1853, p. 235, tab. 1. fig. 5. 

 " •• Milne-Edwards. Hist. Nat. des Cor., vol. iii. 



18(50, p. 399. 



The original description of this species has been quoted, and the opin- 

 ions of Dr. Schliiter and Dr. Lindstrom have been cited. The Swedish 

 coral has a turbinate growth, but is elongated by successive expansions 

 and contractions of the calicinal margins. It has the central pit and 

 horizontally expanded growth found in many forms of Ckonophyllum 

 (figure 1). No fovea is indicated. There are 76 septa, but slightly twisted 

 at the center and showing in the photograph, under a magnifier, a coarse 

 granular appearance. Each septum seems to he made up of curved, super- 

 posed layers just as in the forms described, although they are flatter than 

 in C. magnificum. They are regularly convex upward and not angular. 

 The general shape of the corallum, with the central pit and explanate 

 margins, the absence of fovea, the slight twisting of the septa at the 

 center, their granular appearance and their formation of convex, super- 

 posed layers — all taken together, render it more than probable that this 

 coral is generically related to our C. magnificum. Goldfuss has certainly 

 figured for us a Ckonophyllum, whatever may he the true position of the 

 coral itself. 



There is nothing about the descriptions of this species by Edwards 

 and Haime in any way suggestive of the structure assigned to it by 

 Goldfuss — '"a regular, radiate folding instead of radial Lamellae." Their 

 descriptions would apply equally well to many species of very different 

 genera. That given in their ' ; British Fossil Corals " reads as follows : 



"Corallum simple, straight, rather elongate. Calice nut remarkably deep, and of 

 a subcorneal form. Septa (60 to 74) equally developed, straight, and extending 

 almost to the center of the corallum. Some vestiges of a rudimentary septal fos- 

 sula are visible. Height about •'! inches, diameter about 2 inches. Found at Tor- 

 quay. (Collection of Dr. Battersby.) A fossil found at Wenlock, and belonging to 

 the collection of M. d'Archiac, appears to belong also to this species." 



For any information concerning the actual structure of these forms we 

 must rely upon the figure.* The specimen figured is imbedded in a mass 

 of foreign material ami shows an irregular longitudinal section near the 

 center. It is about 8 cm in length by 5 cm in breadth, in general form 



*Lor. cit., tab. I. fig. :.. 



