788 J- STANLEY GARDINER. 



The specimens vary considerably in their septal sides and teeth and the nature of their 

 columella, i.e. (1) an incrusting mass without hillocks, septa smooth sides, low teeth, and 

 columella typical ; (2) numerous low hillocks, septa rough sides, teeth low, columella rising 

 into points; (3) almost flat, few hillocks, septa nearly smooth sides, long teeth may simulate 

 a pali crown, columella with points; (4) almost same as (1) with a few hillocks, septa tending 

 to be alternately larger and smaller; (5) Goidu, very hillocky and ridged, septal sides smooth 

 or low spinules, medium teeth, septa merging into a dense or slightly spiny columella; 

 (6) Hulule, rounded or hummocky, septal sides smooth or very low spines, teeth longer than 

 in (5), columella dense or almost appearing as if formed by the inner septal teeth ; (7 ) rounded, 

 septa thin sides, smooth, teeth long, distinct crown round columella; (8) rounded, sides of 

 septa smooth, teeth very long and numerous, merging below into the papillated columella. 



The species may be identical with P. obtusata Ed. and H., over which it has priorit)-. 

 It is considerably denser, heavier and shallower than P. abdita Ed. and H., which scarcely 

 can be the same species described by Ell. and Sol. Of Klunzinger's species it differs from 

 P. tesserifera in the character of its walls and septa, from P. vasta in the same and 

 paliform crown, from P. spinosa in its very spiny septa and their number, while the size 

 of the calices at once separates P. pentagona. P. gibbosa Klz. resembles it greatly, and 

 indeed may well be a dwarf form with fewer septa. 



65. Prionastraea magnistellata (Ed. and H.). (PI. LXIV. figs 40, 41.) Ed. and H., 

 II. p. 516. 



Two specimens agree with the above-cited species in form of growth, size, shape and 

 depth of calices, number and characters of septa, though there are two distinct sets, and 

 in the distances between the endothecal dissepiments. The columella is not " bien developpee, 

 d'un tissu assez dense," but of rather coarse trabeculae, a character which in P. fusco-viridis 

 may be seen to vary very considerably, and the calices are often relatively thick walled, and 

 elongated or irregular in shape, largely owing to budding taking place near the inner ends 

 of the septa. 



The larger calices in my specimens range up to 2.S mm. in length by 13 in breadth, 

 but the average are about 17 by 14 mm.; in depth they vary up to 14 mm., averaging 



11 12 mm., only edge or young ones less than 10 mm. The septa vary in number, in the 



largest calices 60—70, average sized ones 40 — 50, and occasionally fuse with one another; 

 the systems are irregular and not distinguishable, 16 — 24 larger meeting in the central part 

 of the calice. The dividing walls vary from 1 — 25 mm. in thickness ; over them the septa 

 are slightly thickened, about 1 mm. exsert, flat, finely toothed edges, over the thickened walls 

 tending to have distinct notches or to be broken in the centre, almost giving the appearance 

 of a furrow. The septal sides are slightly granulated, and their edges, falling at first almost 

 perpendicularly into the calices, end in pointed teeth, which near the centre, where they are 

 very crowded, increase in length up to 3 mm. The columella typically consists of a mass 

 of rather coarse, twisted trabeculae from the septal edges 2—3 mm. across. 



The specimens, two in number, differ considerably, though certain calices in each are 

 not distinguishable. The Minikoi one is a convex mass 13 x 11 cm. with generally thick 

 walls (2 mm.), septa about 55 in number, exsert portions of same notched, calices relatively 

 larger and distinct columella, while the Hulule one is the edge of a mass killed in the 

 centre, with quite thin walls over which the septa (about 42 in number) are very distinctly 



