Devonian.'] PALEONTOLOGY OF VICTORIA. lAnimals. 



This well-knowii species, the Spirifera ostiolata of most European 

 "nritei'S, is so rare in England that I have only seen it in the Valley 

 of the Rocks, Linton, North Devon, but it abounds in the Middle 

 Devonian limestones of the Eifel countiy, and with these the 

 Victorian Gippsland specimens agree in every particular of size, 

 shape, ribbing, and surfoce. 



Aliundant in the Middle Devonian limestones of Buchan and 

 Bindi, North Gippsland. 



Explanation of Fioures. 



Plate XXXV. — Fig. 2, average specimen, natural size (beak of the large valve broken), 

 showing the cardinal area of larger valve and mesial ridge of the smaller valve. Fig. 2a, same 

 siJecimen showing the larger valve with the wide mesial hollow. Fig. 2i, side view of same 

 specimen. 



Plate XXXV., Figs. 3-5. 

 CHONETES AUSTRALIS (McCoy). 



[Genus CHONETES (Fischer). (Sub-kingd. Mollnsca. Class Palliobranchiata. Ord. 

 Brachiopoda. Fara. Productidse.) 



Gen. Char. — Shell approximately semicircular, large valve regularly convex externally, 

 smaller valve nearly as concave externally as the other is convex ; hinge-line straight as long 

 as the shell is wide, with a narrow nearly parallel-sided cardinal area in each valve, that of the 

 larger valve divided in the middle by a triangular opening nearly closed by a pseudo-deltidium 

 above and by the trifid rostral tooth of the other valve below ; two small cardinal teeth at the 

 base of the aperture in the large valve ; internal surface rough with minute pointed projections. 

 A row of small tubular pointed spines on each side of the beak along the hinge-line of the larger 

 valve, diverging obliquely upwards and outwards in the plane of the margins. Exclusively 

 Palasozoic] 



Description. — Rotnndato-subqiiadrate, hinge-line straig-ht as long- as the shell 

 is wide, sides nearly rectang-ular, only slig-htly convex ; front margin moderately 

 convex ; large valve moderately tumid in the middle, gradually flattened towards 

 the lateral angles; about 4 or 5 short conical oblique tubular spines on each side of 

 the beak; smaller valve not so concave as the other is convex ; radiating ridges of 

 large valve about CO at the margin, rounded, slightly nigged, separated by rather 

 narrow spaces, and 38 at 3 lines from beak, whereabouts most of them branch, but 

 the ridges before branching are not much thicker than afterwards ; ridges of small 

 valve nearly simple. Width, about 9 lines; porportional length, ^'/is 5 depth, f^^. 



In many respects this is closely allied to the Chonetes sarcinulata 

 of Schlotheim so abundant in the Rhenish Devonian beds ; but there 

 is not the remarkable sudden diminution of the thickness of the 



DEC. IV. [ 17 ] C 



