J96. CONTRIBUTION TO 



Double spiracles are not uncommon in Pentremites elongatus as Dr. Hambach can but know. 

 On plate I, of Etheridge & Carpenter's great work are figures of two specimens of -f. elongatus one 

 with five spiracles and the other with ten (five divided), and the authors say on paga 161 "Spiracles 

 oval but often in pairs and separated by strong septa." 



In his concluding remarks on the new classification the autlior seems to hurry as the following 

 remarks show: "I also wish to remark that this classification embraces only our American species, 

 although most of the European species, I believe (judging from my small collection of European 

 specimens), will fit into one or another of these genera, with the exception of aberrant forms, like 

 some of our American ones, of which it is still doubtful whether they should be regarded as Blastoids 

 or Cystoids, for the reception of which a separate class should be established. This class may in- 

 clude all doubtful specimens and those insufficiently described and doubtfully illustrated because of 

 the fragmentary condition of the material." 



He seemed to have wearied of the genus making and took up tlie European material in job lots 

 and shoveled them into corners where they seemed to fit. 



Then the odds and ends are placed together and a suggestion is made that a separate class be 

 created for their reception apparently based on their differences from one another and every thing 

 else. What a grand finale this is to a classification and what name would the learned author sug- 

 gest? Not Irregulares for he has already used that. 



We have spoken elsewhere of the substitntion of new names for old as well as established genera. 



The author arranges two families under the order Regulares and two under the order Irregu- 

 lares without any definition of families whatever, placing Codonites under PentremitidcB, while 

 Cadaster stands alone under Codasteridce. Of his species of Pentremites, P. abbreviatus, P. bradleyi^ 

 P. florealis, probably P. tulipaformis and P. rusticus are synonyms or mere varieties of P. godoni, 

 P. basilaris, P. broadheadi, P. nodosus, P. spinosus and P. serratus are synonyms of P. sulcatusy 

 P. clavatus and P. gemmiformis mere varieties of P. calycinus, P. obtusus and P. angustus are 

 merely extreme forms of P. conoideus and, if varieties, would be synonyms of my varieties P. 

 eonoideus var. ampins and P. conoideus var. perlongus, described in Part X, Contribution to Indi- 

 ana Palaeontology, September 4th, 1902, on pages 87, 88 and figured on plate 29. 



The definition of the proposed genus Cribroblastus is founded upon an erroneous assumption 

 and is invalid even if it were lawful to propose it instead of a prior name. The author gives aa 

 its chief character "Central opening never closed except by ambulacral integument," a state- 

 ment which is untrue. He ranges under this genus a heterogenous group of species of which 

 C. potteri and C. verrucosus are synonyms of Schizoblastus sayi, C. incisus of Cryptoblastus melo; 

 C. tenuis of Lophoblastus roemeri; C. sampsoni of L. roemeri. 



The proposed genus Saccoblastus embraces Tricmlocrinus, Metablastus and Troostocrinus and 

 is invalid as it is meant to supplant valid prior names. Triccelocrinns obliquatns formerly de- 

 scribed from fragments, is here figured as a whole, but the specimen is a typical T. ivoodmani^ 

 S. meekianus is a synonym of T. woodmajii, S. ventricosus, N. Sj). is a synonym of Metablastus bi- 

 pyramidalis, coming from the same horizon and locality where there is a great variation in bipy- 

 ramidalis suggesting that it is probable that even the form from there recognieed by some col- 

 lectors as M. icortlieni is after all the same species. We do not mean the M. wortheni from the 

 Keokuk Limestone. 



