13 
NOTE ON THE TYPE-SPECIMEN OF BELEMNOTEUTHIS MONTE- 
FIORET, J. BUCKMAN, FROM THE LOWER LIAS SHALES 
BETWEEN CHARMOUTH AND LYME REGIS, DORSET. 
By G. C. -Crrcn. EVGss., 
Of the British Museum (Natural History). 
Read 8th November, 1901. 
PLATE I. 
Axsour twenty years ago Professor J. Buckman! described a specimen 
from the Lower Lias shales between Charmouth and Lyme Regis 
that he named Belemnoteuthis Montefiorer. 
His description is very short, the chief characters enumerated being 
as follows :— 
‘¢ The original is nearly twelve inches in length. It is surmounted 
by ten rows of dark black spines; four double rows=8 are 14 in. long, 
while two are 2in. ‘The hooks are smooth, and of a dark black colour, 
some of them are as much as two lines in length, and all of them being 
more or less curved. 
‘‘ These hooks were doubtless attached to the arms of the animal, 
which were prehensile organs.”’ 
“It will be seen that these rows of hooks are inclined to one 
side, no doubt arising from the contortion of the soft parts forming 
the neck.” 
‘The dark elevated mass below . . . . is the ink-bag,”’ which, 
‘¢ with its tube, is 33 inches long.” 
‘‘ Below the ink-bag is seen a small pointed projection, 2 of an inch 
in length; this represents the phragmacone of the true Belemnite.’’ 
‘“* Here then,” the author remarks, ‘‘ we seem to have the remains 
of a most interesting creature connecting the Belemnite of the past, 
a fossil sepiaceous animal now extinct, with the modern Calamary.” 
The description concludes as follows :— 
‘A Belemnoteuthis antiquus was figured by Dr. 8. P. Woodward 
from a specimen in the cabinet of Mr. William Cunnington; this is 
called B. antiquus, and was obtained from the Oxford Clay, near 
Chippenham. Our specimen, however, is from the Lias, and is, 
therefore, much older . . . . The elemnoteuthis Montefiorec may 
then be characterised as a fine fossil form derived from the Lower 
Lias Shales of the county of Dorset.” 
From his description quoted above it is evident that the author 
regarded this specimen as generically identical with the forms from 
1 J. Buckman, ‘‘ On the Belemnoteuthis Montefiorei’’: Proc. Dorset Nat. Hist. & 
Antiq. Field Club, vol. iii (1879), pp. 141-143: 1 pl. The volume is dated 
1879, but in his paper Professor Buckman speaks of ‘‘ October of last year 
(1879),’’ which would lead one to consider that the paper was neither read nor 
published betore the year 1880. 
