390 Mr. F. A. Bather on 



(b) without a radianal, via. : 



Eutaxocrinus Springer, genotype E. ojinis (J. Miiller, 



s. 'Taxocrinus). 

 Parichthyocrinus Springer, genotype P. nobilis (\V. & Sp., 



s. Ichthyocrinus). 

 Taxocrinus Phillips, genotype? 



The restriction of Taxocrinus lias been brought into need- 

 less confusion by want of precision in previous writers. 

 Phillips included the species T. egertoni, T. tuberculatus, 

 T. macrodactylus } and T. nobilis, naming them in that order: 

 he did not fix on any one as the type. De Koninck & 

 Le Hon (1854, < Becherches &c.,' Mem. Acad. Belg. 

 vol. xxviii. p. 120) reserved the name " specialement pour 

 les especes qui ne possedent pas de pieces interradiales, et 

 dont le calice semble exclusivement compose des pieces 

 basales, ou de celles-ci et des premieres pieces radiales, tels 

 que les T. macrodactylus, Phill., et T. (Cyathocrinus)., 

 lifienanus, F. Boemer." 



Thus they only mentioned one out of the original species, 

 and this one — T. macrodactylus — has therefore some claim to 

 be regarded as the genotype, even though the word type was 

 not actually mentioned. The fact that T. macrodactylus does 

 possess an interbiachial ("piece interradiale ") scarcely 

 affects the question, for so do the other species, as already 

 pointed out by Dr. Springer (Aug. 1902, Amer. Geol, p. 90). 

 Unfortunately, in discussing the genus in their ' Revision ' 

 (1879, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 268), Wachs- 

 muth & Springer said, " The first of these [i.e. T. egertoni\ 

 . . . must be considered, according to the most generally 

 accepted rules of naturalists, the type of the genus." The 

 so-called "first species rule" has now been given up, and in 

 any case its application to Taxocrinus would not be so clear 

 as the statement quoted might lead one to suppose. Apart 

 from that, however, it might plausibly be maintained that 

 this was the first definite selection of a genotype, and could 

 not be overridden. It was accepted by S. A. Miller (1889, 

 ' N. Amer. Geol. & Paleont/), who writes " Taxocmnus, 

 Phillips . . . Type T. egertoni." Curiously enough, it is 

 Mr. Springer himself who appears (190(3, p. 493) to suggest 

 overriding it in the words "As T. nobilis and T. macro- 

 dactylus have hitherto been taken as the typical forms of the 

 genus ... it seems proper to retain the name for " species 

 agreeing with them in brachial structure. This, it is true, is 

 very indefinite, and one is only left to infer that Dr. Springer 



