P<(rinularia ohliqiia. 4«^ 



state succulent, translucent and of a ])ale tlesh colour, or 

 ver)' lijzht terra cotta tint. 



The course of the development of the stem and the zoarium 

 presents a Ijioloirical puzzle. As a rule the development of poly- 

 zoa commences with a swimming larva, which ultimately 

 settles down and becomes attached to some foreign sul)stance, 

 and forms a primary zooecimn (ancestrula), around or upon 

 which other zooecia grow. It is doubtful if this species could 

 begin its existence in this way, because if the primary zooecium 

 were firmly attached to any foreign substance the stem could 

 not grow. An examination of the specimens does not disclose 

 any signs of a single primary zooecitun ; instead of which there 

 is a row of zooecia (16 in the specimen figured), somewhat dif- 

 ferent in form from the succeeding ones, from the bases of 

 which there are ntimerous short filamentary processes which 

 project over the cavity that in the living state was occupied by 

 the stem, and which apparently were embedded in it and by 

 them the zoarium was attached to the stem. 



In connection with this species I would wish to state that, 

 owing to my not having then seen a specimen of it, I described 

 in Part VII. of my " Further Descriptions of Victorian Tertiary 

 Polyzoa •' (P.R.S.. V. Vol. XIV. (New Series), Pt. II. p. 68, pi. 

 VIII. fig. 10). under the name of Schizoporella flabellata, a form 

 which belongs to the genus Parmularia, and that consequently 

 its name mtist be altered to " Parmularia flabellata " ; it differs 

 from P. obliqua in that the zooecia are perpendicularly 

 arranged, not obliquely, and the form of the zoarium is elon- 

 gated and elliptical, not broad .md fan f)r kidney-shajied. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE X. 



Parmularia oblicjua. x 8. 



