204 Prof. W. King on the Histology q/* Rhynchonella. 



3535) ; V. s. in herb. Mus. Brit.j mont. Organens. ad Imbuhy 

 (Gardn. 546). 



A very distinct species, having straight elongated branches, 

 with axils 1^ inch apart ; leaves li-3| inches long, |-2 inches 

 broad, on a rather stout petiole 2-3 lines long ; the terminal 

 panicle is 6 inches long in flower, 8 inches long in fruit, with 

 twenty to twenty-four alternate patent branches 4-6 lines 

 apart, 1-2 inches long, diminishing upwards, bare at base, the 

 lower ones again branched, the upper ones simply spicate ; 

 flowers 1 line apart ; sepals rather fleshy, very pilose on both 

 sides, IJ line long; tube of corolla fleshy, contracted in the 

 middle, 1^ line long, its segments |-1 line long; anthers 

 cohering in the mouth by their scabrid summits ; ovary and 

 style equal, glabrous ; stigma short, conical, pilose, sub- 

 2-lobed. 



XX. — On a point relating to the Histology o/'E.hynchonella. 

 By Professor W. King. 



To the Editors of ike Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 



Glenoir, near Galway, 



Gentlemen, ^"^"'* i^*' i^<^- 



Dr. Carpenter, according to his letter inserted in the 

 ^ Annals ' of this month, has taken it upon himself to " think 

 that the scientific world has a right to know" my "present 

 opinions" on a number of points, which he has written out, 

 pertaining to the genus Rhynchonella and some other shells. 

 As regards most of these points, it strikes me that I am not 

 by any means required to notice them : there is one, however, 

 on which, considering the way in which it is represented by 

 Dr. Carpenter, I feel myself called upon to say a few words. 



It is quite correct that " some twenty years ago " I was led 

 " to believe that certain very minute dark points, which I ob- 

 served here and there dispersed over the surface of the valves 

 of various fossil species, were the remains of orifices belonging 

 to extremely minute perforations," and consequently to " doubt 

 the absence " of a perforated structure in any palliobranchiate 

 shell. Now it so happens that ample evidence has long been 

 published by which the " scientific world " is enabled to judge 

 of my " present opinion " on the subject to which my " doubt" 

 applies. In a paper of mine, entitled " Notes on Permian 

 Fossils," which appeared in the ^Annals' of April 1856, I 

 inserted a footnote, containing some remarks on the histology 



