352 ZOOPHYTES. 



FAMILY I. CYATHOPHYLLID^. 



Caryophyllacea cakareo-coralligena. Gemmata, gemmis inferioribus, 

 aut lateralibus, aut apicalibus sursum nascentibus. Corallum medio 

 scepius transverse aut oblique septatum, secretionibus animalium calr 

 careis basi interrupts aut seriatim elaboratis. 



Caryophyllacea forming calcareous coralla. Gemmate, with the buds 

 inferior, either lateral or growing upward from the summits. Co-' 

 rallum of a polyp usually transversely or obliquely septate at middle, 

 the coral secretions forming at base sehately or interruptedly. 



The species of this family are so nearly related to one another, and 

 the transitions uniting together the widest variations from the type are 

 so gradual, that they have generally been classed together, and ori- 

 ginally, a large part constituted a single genus. Yet as the charac- 

 teristics of the family can be drawn only from fossilized coralla, there 

 is much difficulty in seizing those peculiarities which will satisfac- 

 torily exhibit its unity. Moreover, the early forms of organic life had 

 generally a wider range of characters than those of the present day, 

 and seem to have belonged rather to the system of the period, than 

 to that now existing. 



The coralla of the Cyathophyllidse have usually the structure of 

 the AstrseidaB, with the inferior mode of budding of the Caryophyl- 

 lidse : in the general character of the stars, and the numerous inter- 

 mediate dissepiments uniting the lamellse, many of them are near 

 the former, while others have the simple stars of the latter. The 

 most striking characteristic in structure consists in the transverse 

 septa and cellules, which constitute the middle of the corallum; in this 

 respect, the species most Astraoid, differ widely from true Astrseas. 

 Many of the species are simple, and in consequence of their not bud- 

 ding, their connexion with the group is determined by analogies in 

 general structure, and their transitions. 



While, in a transverse section, the star of the Astrseidae and Caryo- 

 phyllidse, characterizes a large part of the group, there are others 

 (Cystiophylla) closely allied, in which the lamellae or rays, are barely 

 traceable about the centre of the cell, and are lost outward, in a gene- 

 ral cellular texture ; and in some of the same group, the rays are 



