334; Prof. W. King's Notes on Permian Fossils. 



genei'ic position of the so-called Terebratula Geinitziana disco- 

 vered by DeVerneuil in the Permiaus of Russia*. This species, 

 or rather a shell occurring in Germany tirst noticed by Geinitzf, 

 and stated to be identical with it, has lately been placed in 

 CamarophoriaX, though the original description given by M. de 

 Verneuil is somewhat in favour of the Russian type being con- 

 sidered a Rhi/nchonella. 



Mr. Davidson no doubt was led by his inherent cautiousness 

 to query the Permian existence of Rhyachonella from the uncer- 

 tainty named ; but as this genus is well known to characterize 

 both the Carboniferous and the Saliferous systems, this fact alone 

 would have been considered of sufficient force by some to warrant 

 their positively concluding that it existed during the Permian 

 period. 



Rhynchonella ? Geinitziana^, De Verneuil. PI. XII. figs. 7-11. 



It is only lately that any specimens of the German fossil, 

 which Geinitz has referred to the present species, came under 

 ray observation ; it required, however, but a very brief exami- 

 nation of them to feel convinced that they belong to an un- 

 doubted Rhynchonella, and a species unsurpassed either in beauty 

 or histological interest. The specimens alluded to were obtained 

 out of the dark-coloured Zechstein of Ropsen, one of the Ger- 

 man localities famous for Permian fossils. 



Confining ourselves to the species represented by the German 

 specimens, there cannot be any doubt of its being a true Rhyn- 

 chonella ; as its large valve is furnished with two well-developed 

 rostral plates, and the opposite or small valve with the usual 

 median one. But what constitutes the peculiar interest of this 

 shell is, that both valves are as distinctly and regularly per- 

 forated as those of any TerehratulidcB. 



But I am assuming that the German specimens belong to the 

 species Rhynchonella Geinitziana. Be this as it may, there is no 

 doubt on my mind of their being the same as those procured by 

 Dr. Geinitz at Gera, and identified by him in his ' Versteine- 

 rungen ' [loc. cit.) with the Russian species named. I cannot 

 help thinking, however, that they represent a different species. 

 De Verneuil describes his shell as having its slightly elevated 

 ribs " obsolete or completely effaced near the beak ;" and Count 

 Keyserling's testimony is to the same effect, representing them 

 as "sehr obsolete || /' but all the specimens from Ropsen, although 



* Geology of Russia, vol. ii. pp. 83, 84, pi. 10. fig. 5 a, b. 

 t Die Yersteiuenuigeu des deutschen Zechsteingebirges, p. 12. pi. 4. 

 fig. 41. 



X Schauroth, Beitrag, 1854. § Geinitz, loc. cit. 



II Reise in das Petschora-Land, p. 241, 1846. 



