British species of the genus Lagena. 3 



me the opportunity of verifying the present existence of the same 

 forms on various parts of the British coasts. 



The earhest notice of any forms of Lagence which has come 

 under my observation is in the ' Testacea Minuta Rariora ' of 

 Mr. Walker, pubhshed in 1784. He describes a number of Bri- 

 tish species which he arranged amongst the Serpula, distinguish- 

 ing them however by the subgeneric name of Lagena. 



In 1789 and 1791 Soldani figured some forms from the Adri- 

 atic, in his ' Testaceographise et Zoophytographise, parvse et mi- 

 croscopicse/ &c., tab. 120. 



In 1803 Montagu repubhshed Walker^s species in his ' Tes- 

 tacea Britannica/ adding a few others which had been discovered 

 by Mr. Boys of Sandwich. Montagu followed Walker's plan of 

 arranging them with the Serpula, making them a part of his 

 genus Vermiculum. 



In 1808 Denys de Montfort introduced the genus into his 

 * Couchyliologie Systematique/ under the French and Latin ge- 

 neric names of Lagenules and Lagenula, classing them amongst 

 his Univalves cloisonnees, or group of Nautili, in which group, 

 like his predecessors Soldani, Plancus, and Fichtel and Moll, he 

 comprehended all the Foraminifera. 



In 1815 Dr. Fleming separated them from the Serpulce, and, 

 carrying out the intimation of Walker, gave them the rank of a 

 genus in the article Conchology, published in the ' Edin. Ency.' 

 vol. vii. p. 68. He applied to them the generic name of Lagena, 

 very properly adopting the subgeneric term given to them by 

 Walker, to whom certainly belonged the credit of pointing out 

 the necessity for distinguishing them from any existing genus. 

 It is to be regretted that Dr. Fleming subsequently abandoned 

 this name for that of De Montfort. 



In 1826 M. Dessalines D'Orbigny published his classification 

 of the Cephalopoda* : in this arrangement he followed the views 

 of preceding naturalists, regarding most of the Foraminifera as 

 cephalopodous ; but he separated three of the genera, Lagenula, 

 Discolites and Chelibs; having anticipated Ehrenberg's subse- 

 quent discovery of the zoophytic character of all the Foraminifera, 

 by determining that these three must be arranged with the true 

 Polypifera. 



At the same time Dr. Fleming, in his work on ' British Ani- 

 mals,' was arranging the genus "Lagenula" amongst the Fora- 

 minifera, regarding them as Cephalopoda, but with evident mis- 

 givings as to his correctness ; for he observes, " The place of this 

 genus is far from being satisfactorily determined, and the mi- 



* Tableau Methodique de la Classe des C6phalop.)des ; Annales des Sci- 

 ences Naturelles, vol. vii. p. 96. 



1* 



