190 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Classification of the Foraminifera. By A. E. Reuss. 



Prof. Dr. A. E. Reuss, of Prague, who has studied the Foramini- 

 fera, especially as occurring in the fossil state, for many years, has 

 lately offered the following systematic arrangement of the class to 

 the Imperial Academy of Vienna. Dr. Reuss observes that a system 

 based exclusively on one isolated character can never be expected to 

 be a faithful interpretation of natural relationship. This can be 

 rendered visible only by regarding as much as possible the total sum 

 of characters, — placing, of course, in the first rank the most import- 

 ant and general among them. 



The chemical constitution of the shell, as yet scarcely attended to, 

 is among these characteristics. A considerable number of the genera 

 of Foraminifera have arenaceo-siliceous shells — a character that may 

 be of use in characterizing not only genera, but even whole families. 

 Another character worthy of consideration in a systematic arrange- 

 ment is the intimate structure of the shell, — the more so as it depends 

 on the secretory powers of the animal, and perhaps also on its bodily 

 organization. The mode in which the concamerations are disposed, 

 in double, alternating, straight, or spiral series, is too liable to varia- 

 tion to be made the groundwork of systematic arrangement, as it is 

 in the systems hitherto adopted. 



Even the future value of the division into Monomerous and Poly- 

 merous Foraminifera may be a subject of doubt. The first of these 

 divisions is subdivided into seven families : — Gromidece, Lagenidece, 

 Spirillinidece, Squamulinidece, Oculinidece, Cornucopidece, and Am- 

 modiscidece. The second division comprises fourteen families : — 

 Rhabdoidece, Cristellaridece, Polymorphinidece, Cryptostegia, Tex- 

 tularidece, Cassidulinidece (these six have calcareous, vitreous shells, 

 pierced with delicate pores), Miliolidece, Orbitulitidece, Peneroplidece 

 (these three have compact, calcareous, porcelain-like shells), Lituo- 

 HdecB, UvellidecB (these two have arenaceo-siliceous shells), Rotalidece 

 (with calcareous shells, intersected by ramified channels of various 

 diameters), Polystomellidece, and Nummulitidece (these two have 

 calcareous shells, intersected by ramified channels, and so represent, 

 at least as regards the shell-structure, the highest type of organiza- 

 tion within the class of Foraminif era). 



On the Symmetry of the Echinodermata. 



A memoir, in which M. Sars establishes the genus Echinocu- 

 cumis for a Holothuria found in the vicinity of Bergen, at a depth 

 of 40 to 100 fathoms, is followed by some interesting considerations 

 upon the symmetry of the Holothurida, of which the following is a 

 resume. 



The celebrated investigations of Johannes Midler have proved that 

 all larvae of Echinoderms have a bilateral symmetry, and that the 

 adult Echinoderms, although possessing a radiate symmetry, never- 



