Cretaceous Sj)ecies o/'PodoseriSj Dune. ^33 



very stout, the septa have corvesponding large granules upon 

 the free upper edges, or after the eftocts of weathering these 

 gi'anules may have disappeared and deep holes exist in their 

 place. A very interesting structure is sometimes seen upon 

 the flanks of these large septa and close to their upper free 

 edge, and it consists of a thin, more or less horizontal, narrow 

 lamella of hard structure which occludes, to a small extent, 

 the interseptal loculus. The modern example is seen in 

 Bathyactis^ a deep-sea Fungid, but tliis is more complete, for 

 the lamellaj of opposed septa join over the interseptal 

 loculi, especially near the axis of the coral. Some septa are 

 very delicate and long, and this is a truly Fungid character 

 and is exemplified in the modern genus Fangia. The union 

 of many septa with others, so as to form a converging series 

 ending in one septum at the axis, is well seen in Podoseris. 

 On the flanks of the larger septa are close, small, sharp, 

 spinulose granules, and as all the septa are swollen tolerably 

 regularly, so as to present a series of transverse or curved or 

 oblique projections into the interseptal spaces, the general 

 appearance is very irregular. 



A transverse section of a specimen of Podoseris elongata 

 (PI. V. fig. 14) taken just below the surface of the calice 

 shows structures similar to those of weathered calices. 

 Synapticula3 stretch across interseptal spaces and fuse with 

 the septa, and this union is especially well seen in the inner 

 third of the section. Beyond that area, and where the inter- 

 se])tal spaces are often wider, the projections from the alter- 

 nating nodules of opposed septa do not all terminate in synap- 

 ticulai, for many end in recurved blunt points, the ends being 

 directed towards the circuu^ference of the coral. These points 

 and the curvatures of their processes, together with the alter- 

 nating and interdigitating of the nodules of the septa, give a 

 very characteristic appearance to the section. There is no 

 doubt that some of the points terminate in stout laminas which 

 reach the opposed face of the neighbouring septum, and 

 are thus synapticulffi, whilst others end in very delicate 

 arched processes which touch the opposed septum. These 

 delicate processes are dissepimental for the most part, but 

 some of them cannot be distinguished in structure or direc- 

 tion from very thin synapticulee. It must be remembered 

 that long and thin synapticulse are exemplified in the modern 

 Bathyactis symmetrica^ Moseley (Report on 'Challenger' 

 Deep-sea Corals, 1881, p. 186, pi. xi. fig. 2). They are the 

 simplest forms of the structures. An advance upon this par- 

 ticular elongation is seen in the synapticulse of Pachyseris 

 speciosa, Dana, and Mceandroseris IJottie, L. Rouss, and in 



Ann, cO May. N. Hist. Ser. 6. Vol. iv. 3 



