CONTEMPORARIES OF EOZOON 209 



sea dredgings and also of the chalk. These bodies 

 occur dispersed in the limestone, arranged in thin 

 layers parallel to the bedding or sometimes in the 

 large chamber-cavities of Eozoon. They are so vari- 

 able in size and form that it is not unlikely they may 

 be of different origins. The most probable of these 

 may be thus stated. First, they may in some cases 

 be the looser superficial parts of the surface of 

 Eozoon broken up into little groups of cells. 

 Secondly, they may be few-celled germs or buds 

 given off from Eozoon. This would correspond 

 with what Carpenter, and more recently Brady and 

 Lester, have observed in the case of some of the 

 larger of the modern Foraminifera. Thirdly, they 

 may be smaller Foraminifera, structurally allied to 

 Eozoon, but in habit of growth resembling those 

 little globe-shaped forms which, as already stated, 

 abound in chalk and in the modern ocean. The 

 latter view I should regard as highly probable in 

 the case of many of them ; and I have proposed 

 for them, in consequence, and as a convenient 

 name, Archceospherincz^ or ancient spherical animals. 

 Carbonaceous matter is rare in the true Eozoon 

 limestones, and, as already stated, I would refer the 

 Laurentian graphite or plumbago mainly to plants. 



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