pe ee ene” ieee ee 
=v" * 
DISTRIBUTION OF FOSSIL ZOOPHYTES. S73 
: Mr. Lonsdale. A slab of the Dudley limestone often has the 
entire surface studded with minute corals of many species 
and genera, lying in bold relief, and in an admirable state 
_ of preservation. 
Verticittipora (Lign. 70, fig. 4. Lign. 72, fig. 3).—Cells 
_ poriform, arranged in meshes on the surface of convex im- 
bricating plates round a hollow axis, forming a fixed, irre- 
gular, subcylindrical polyparium. ign. 70, fig. 4, represents 
a coral often met with in the gravel-pits at Faringdon, (ante, 
p. 228,) which is referred by Mr. Morris to this genus. It is 
composed of short cylindrical anastomosing tubular branches, 
emanating from an expanded base, divided internally by 
transverse parallel plates, covered with exceedingly minute 
pores or cells, disposed in meshes; the plates surround a 
hollow axis; the structure is well shown in the figure. 
Luyvuites. Lign. 70.—The polyparium is stony, orbicu- 
lar, convex above, concave below; concavity radiated; con- 
vexity covered with cells, earaeca in concentric circles on 
diverging strie. 
A species of this coral is often found in the chalk: Lign. 
70, fig. 1, represents a specimen from the South Downs, dis- 
covered by Mr. Walter Mantell. The natural affinities of 
this genus are not determined with precision; but I have 
placed it with the Bryozoa in accordance with the opinion 
of M.de Blainville. It is an elegant white coral, and easily 
recognized among the minute organisms of the chalk. 
GroLocicaL DisrrisutTion oF Foss, Zoopayres.— Al- 
though the geological distribution of fossil zoophytes affords 
less striking phenomena than that of the vegetable kingdom, 
yet some interesting reflections are suggested by the facts 
we have thus cursorily noticed. We find that in the most 
ancient seas of which any vestiges of their inhabitants re- 
main, these forms of vitality existed, and produced the same 
physical results as at the present time; giving rise to coral- 
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