104 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.83 



of middle or upper Eocene age, A still more recent paper by Dr. 

 Matley (1932) considers the question of the age of these beds, and, 

 after a summary of the evidence offered by various authorities, gives 

 them an upper Eocene age. He lists the following preliminary 

 determination of the corals by Dr. Vaughan : 



AsterosmiJia cf. hilli Vaughan. 

 Steplianocoenia (?) sp. 

 Madracis (?) sp. 

 Pavona sp. 



(The Stephanocoenia ? sp. is discussed in the present notes as 

 Madracis decactis.) He mentions also that R. B. Newton deter- 

 mined the coral genera Paracyathus and Astrocoenia in the Romanes 

 collection. (In the present notes the Paracyathus is considered as 

 Trochocyathus and thQ Astrocoenia as Madracis decactis.) 



Though it is not the purpose here to enter any controversy regard- 

 ing the age of the Scotland beds, the evidence given by these small 

 collections of corals indicates an age younger than Eocene, perhaps 

 early Miocene. 



Geims MADRACIS Milne Edwards and Haime, 1849 



MADRACIS DECACTIS (Lyman) 



Plate 4, Figukr 16 



Astraea decactis Lyman, 1859, p. 2G0. 



Madracis decactis Veuuill, 1SG4, p. 45. — Gregory, 1895, p. 258, fiii. 1. 



^'^pecimens.—V.S.'NM. no. 44301; Brit. Mus. (N.H.) nos. R29689, 

 R29G90, R29691. 



Occurrence. — In a conglomerate band in the Scotland beds on the 

 Spa Estate, 2 miles southwest of Bissex Hill, Barbados (Trechmann 

 and Romanes collections). 



Beinarks. — Seven specimens are referred to this species. The 

 calicular surface is not preserved in any specimen, but the internal 

 structure corresponds exactly to that of specimens from the Miocene 

 of the Dominican Republic in the National Museum. The corallites 

 average 1.5 mm in diameter and are closely packed together. There 

 are 10 well-developed septa that reach the columella and 10 rudi- 

 mentary septa that appear on the interior of the corallites as spines 

 projecting into the corallite cavity. The dissepiments are well de- 

 veloped and horizontal. The specimens represent fragments from 

 larger coralla. 



M. decactis ranges from Miocene * to Recent. 



M^aughan and Woodrln^', 1921, pp. 90, WV.l, 152, 157 (Miocene); p. 1G7 (I'lcistocene). 



