234 NOTES AND MEMORANDA.. 



species and genera. In a strict zoological sense, indeed, a Forami- 

 nifcral genus has but the value of a species of a higher class. The 

 tables and lists of genera prepared by the Professor might therefore 

 be compared with lists of species of the higher divisions of the animal 

 kingdom. Of the Porcellanous group, Miliola, Nuhicularia, and Cornu- 

 spira appear to have the longest range, being found in Triassic and 

 Ehfetic strata, and living in our present seas. The Arenaceous are 

 older, five genera occurring in Carboniferous formations. Of the 

 Hyaline Foraminifera, seven genera are Palaeozoic. Fusulina, Stroma- 

 topora, and Eozoon appear to be essentially Palasozoic forms. The 

 essentially abyssal genera are Arhulina, Globigerina, Pulloenia, and 

 Sphoeroidina, all Hyaline. The Globigerina, as is well known, being 

 abundant both fossil in the Chalk and living in the bed of the At- 

 lantic. Contrary to the general impression, there are very few forms 

 common to the Atlantic ooze and the Chalk, and this leads the author 

 to doubt some conclusions which have recently been drawn. Pro- 

 fessor Morris exhibited some of the Foraminiferal mud from the 

 bottom of the Atlantic, and pointed out the important part the class 

 has played in the formation of the globe, reminding the Association 

 that Eozoon forms masses of rock covering a vast area in North Ame- 

 rica, that Russian Mountain Limestone is made up of Fusulina, that 

 the Nummulitic Limestone, of which the Pyramids are built, is found 

 over a very great extent of the earth's surface, and, as Lonsdale was 

 the first to show, our world-famous chalk cliffs are chiefly composed 

 of the remains of this curious group of the animal kingdom. Finally, 

 Prof. Jones explained the method of successive boilings and siftings 

 of obtaining the fossil Foraminifera from clays. 



NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 



The Library of the late Professor von Grafe is in the possession 

 of Hirschwald, the well-known Berlin publisher and bookseller, who 

 is about to publish a catalogue of it. There are doubtless books on 

 histological matters among the series. 



Another District for Eozoon. — At a late meeting of the Lyceum 

 of Nat. Hist, of New York, Mr. G. M. Wilber exhibited a specimen of 

 green and white mottled marble, from near Saratoga, New York, 

 which was recognized by Prof. Edwards, as consisting of Eozoon 

 Canadense. The specimen was referred to Prof. Edwards for exami- 

 nation and report. 



Fresh-water Diatomaceae or Infusorial Earths. — Prof. A. M. 



Edwards recently read a paper on this subject before the New York 

 Lyceum of Natural History. The earths are either of marine origin 

 or lacustrine. Such deposits, says the writer, are extremely common 

 in this country, as well as in Europe, and arc generally of a light 



