INDIANA PALEONTOLOGY. m. 



not because of their great abundance, but from the excellent preservation of the first named 

 species. To strengthen this foundation he adds, "I think it is not unreasonable to suppose that 

 similar conditions in structure mast have existed in other species belonging to this family." 



With such a statement in the beginning and a source so narrow from which to draw the in- 

 formation to be used in the diagnosis of a family of organisms, including several genera and 

 many species, the reviewer could hardly hope the acceptance of his new classification. 



A worse mistake was made by the author when, without excuse, he set aside valid generic 

 names and substituted therefor new names of his own creation, thus ignoring the law of priority. 

 Objectionable as blastoid names ending in crinus certainly are, yet who has the authority to 

 change themT We really expeeted the Doctor to make all generic endings blastus but he seemed 

 to have forgotten his own plans and retained a few ites. 



He mentions no type species under his new genera and he did wisely, from the heterogene- 

 ous character of the species grouped under the new generic names. 



In speaking of the construction of the body of a Pentremite, and we suppose it is to answer 

 for all blastoids, he says it is a most perfect dicyclical body and then calls the reader's attention 

 to the fact that he does not use the word dicyclical in the same sense as in Crinoidea?. Why 

 thenuseit at all since its employment can not be otherwise than misleading? His conception of 

 the growth of the two circles of pieces is a very curious one and at the same time very doubtful. 



It is equally doubtful that any but an abnormal specimen ever has five basal plates. 



It is difficult to understand why the base portion of the deltoid piece is the most important 

 part of the calyx and the writer does not tell ug why. 



That the central lancet canal and the pentagonal ring of which it forms a part, served as a 

 lodgement for the nervous system admits of doubt, as well as the so called genital openings of 

 this author. Until such a time as proof is given that these ventral openings were for the passage 

 of ova, we shall continue to speak of them as spiracles. 



Regarding the fork pieces as radials, the deltoids are located interradially and the blastoid 

 is monocyclic. 



There is absolutely no excuse for insisting that the outer surface of the ambulacrum "is 

 covered by an organic and elastic integument." If the peculiarly ornamental character of the 

 surface of the ambulacrum were an integument, there is no reason why it could not be readily 

 removed, but such is not the case and why not conceive that the substance of the ambulacrum is 

 thrown into minute elevations and depressions of peculiar pattern to serve some useful purpose 

 to the animalT Doubtless the position that Dr. Hambaeh has taken on the ventral covering in 

 Pentremites gives him a good excuse to hold on tenaciously to his "zig-zag plicated integument" 

 theory, thereby obtaining scales with which to form the "cone-shaped body observed on the 

 summit of many species." 



After illustratiag the ventral tube of Pentremites conoidcus, he makes the following statement: 

 I'To my knowledge it is the first time that such a body has been observed on a Blastoid," over, 

 looking or ignoring the fact that the writer of this paper mentioned such an appendage on a 

 specimen of Schizohlastus sayi in the October, 1900, number of The American Geologist, page 

 247, and in the June, 1901, number of the same publication, we illustrated the specimen on plate 



