[Proc. Eoy. Soc. Victoria, 18 (N.S.), Pt. I., 1905]. 



Art. III. — Neiv or Little-known Victorian Fossils in 

 the National Museum, Melbourne. 



Part VI. — Notes on Devonian Spirifers. 



By FREDERICK CHAPMAN, A.L.S., &c., 



National Museum. 



(With Plate V.). 



[Read 8th June, 1905]. 



A Note on the Identity of Spirifer laevicosta, McCoy 

 (//o/i Valenciennes), with S. yassensis, de Koninck. 



The earliest record of Spirifer laevicosta as a Victorian fossil 

 was given by Seh\yn in 1866.^ In the following year Prof. 

 McCoy wrote- regarding the limestone fossils of Buohan, Gipps- 

 land, that there was an " abundance of the Spirifera^ laevicostata, 

 perfectly identical with specimens from the European Devonian 

 Limestone of the Eifel." 



The occm-rence of this spirifer was subsequently mentioned 

 in two Progress Reports and an Exhibition Essay by McCoy, 

 and it was finally figured and described in the Prodromus of the 

 Palaeontology of Victoria.'^ 



In view of the special detailed work on the classification of 

 the brachiopoda published since 1876, giving a better idea of 

 the limitation of specific forms, the publication of these notes 

 may now be opportune. 



The Australian species, which has until now been referred 

 to as S. laevicosta (or laevicostata), shows marked specific dif- 

 ferences from the S. laevicosta of Europe (Devonshire and the 

 Eifel). It is, however, somewhat allied to the latter species 

 as a Middle Devonian type of spirifer, but is not a, typical 



1 Ph3s. Geogr. and Geol. Vict., p. 10 [Exhibition Essays]; (the specific name was mis- 

 printed "locevicontata "). 



2 Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 3, vol. xx., 1867, p. 198. 



3 Decade iv., 1876, p. 16, pi. xxxv., figs. 2-2b. 



