232 MADREPORARIA. 
whether Duncan’s coral is even a Poritid at all, and for the following reasons. The figures 
show no Porites character, except the number of the septa. But there is nothing in the 
character of the septa or of the walls to suggest a Poritid. The typical fusions of the septa 
of Porites are not seen, although the calicles are not deep, in which case these fusions might 
perhaps have been unrecognisable. Further, their character is not suggestive of the septa 
of Porites. Rows of granules, rounded by secondary weathering, are possible, but I have 
never seen a Porites with more than four granules on each septum, except in abnormal, 
rather distorted calicles, when one or two septa may be lengthened. These four are the 
wall-ridge or intervening granules, the wall-granules proper, the septal granules, and the 
pali (cf. p. 15). Now the septa in Duncan’s figure have mostly five to six granules, and thus 
do not conform at least with typical recent forms. 
D’Achiardi’s coral, with which Duncan identified this Sind specimen, was, as stated, a 
Goniopora with sixteen to twenty-four septa. 
With regard to Duncan’s Porites gajensis (1. c. p. 99), this is apparently a true Poritid, but 
if so, it is one of those doubtful cases which hover between Porites and Goniopora. Duncan only 
figures one calicle (1. c. pl. xxii. figs. 6, 7) with about twelve septa. If we may argue from 
this single figure, we note that the septa show no trace of the septal formula of Porites, but 
the style of the forking is what might well be seen in a Goniopora in which the septa are 
secondarily aborting. I am therefore now inclined to think that Duncan’s Porites gajensis 
should be added to the list of Goniopore. (See Part II. of this Volume.) 
The following form seems to be a true Porites. 
243. Porites Sind ql. (P. Sindica prima.) 
[Kurrachee (Tertiary); British Museum. | 
Syn. Porites incrustans Duncan, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. xiii. (1864) p. 305. 
Description—The fossilised corallum is massive and glomerate, but showing in section 
concentric growth-periods about 1°3 em. thick. 
The calicles varied greatly in size, the average being under 1:5 mm. They pitted the 
free surface. The walls were a stout reticulum, the septa were wavy, but apparently showed 
the typical formula, 
Little more can be gathered as to the details of structure of this worn specimen. There 
can be little doubt that it is a true Porites, but on what evidence Duncan described it as of the 
same species as the Porites found in the European Miocene of Turin, Bordeaux, Dax, Carry, 
Vienna, Hungary and in the San Domingan shales, and all called by their discoverers by this 
same name, it is very difficult to see. The name has clearly been a snare. 
In addition to the original specimen referred to by Duncan, there is also in the National 
Collection a polished piece of a large pebble showing the remains of calicles of the same general 
size and with the same stoutness of the reticular walls. It is apparently from the same 
locality. 
a. Dunean’s original specimen. Geol. Dept. R. 6385. 
b. Polished pebble. Geol. Dept. R. 3457. 
