124 Prof.W. King on the Histology of 



XV. — Remarks on the Histology of two /S^mwercso/Rhynchopora 

 Geinitziana, De Verneuil, from near the River Oukhta, Pro- 

 vince of Archangel, and belonging to the Collection of the Corps 

 des Mines of St. Petersburg. By Professor William King. 



The specimens which are treated of in the present communica- 

 tion have been recently noticed by Dr. Carpenter* in connexion 

 with a dispute which occurred between us in 1856. They were 

 kindly submitted to our individual examination, at the time, by 

 Mr. Davidson, who, on account of the light they seemed to 

 throw on the histology of the Rhynchonellida, spared no labour 

 in procuring the loan of them for the purpose stated. 



Palaeontologists will remember that, in a paper of mine, entitled 

 " Notes on Permian Fossils," which appeared in the ' Annals 

 and Magazine of Natural History ' for March and April 1856, 

 I asserted that the species to which the specimens belong is " as 

 distinctly and regularly perforated" as any of the family Tere- 

 bratulidce ; and that, on the contrary, Dr. Carpenter, in a letter 

 published nearly twelve months afterwards, maintained that it 

 has " only pits upon the inner surface of the shell" f. 



Before proceeding further, I wish it to be understood that I 

 have no desire to enter on a controversy with Dr. Carpenter in 

 your pages : my object is solely to place on record, in a scientific 

 journal like the 'Annals,' the observations which I made on the 

 specimens in question J. Dr. Carpenter, I am fully aware, will 

 also publish his observations on the same specimens — a proceed- 

 ing which I shall be perfectly satisfied with, provided he confine 

 himself to the main point at issue between us§. Should this 

 be the case, it may be reasonably expected that the discussion 

 will stimulate others, who have sufficiently favourable opportu- 

 nities, to endeavour to determine which of us is right. 



One of the specimens has a considerable portion of the urn- 

 bone of the large valve broken off: the other is nearly perfect. 



* See ' Reader ' for July 8, p. 45. 



f See 'Annals and Magazine of Natural History,' ser. 2. vol. xix. p. 214. 

 Dr. Carpenter, however, had previously admitted, in a paper published in 

 the ' Annals,' vol. xvii. p. 504, that ray statement, as regards some German 

 specimens, was correct, " so far as can be judged by the external appear- 

 ance" of two which he had examined. 



J My observations would have been published at the time they were 

 made but for certain reasons, which it would be a waste of your valuable 

 space to be occupied with : they will be stated, however, I expect, in an 

 immediate number of the ' Reader.' 



§ Dr. Carpenter will have ample opportunity of adding any other 

 matters in the ' Reader,' in which he has already introduced a " personal 

 discussion." 



