220 



searches, from the officers of the British Museum, and procured a 

 drawing from, I believe, the identical specimen described by Mr, 

 Beaumont, and which now makes a part of that superb collection. 

 The representation of this fossil is at Plate XVII. Fig. 3, where at a 

 is shewn the surface which was applied to the superior termination of 

 the vertebral column, which supported the pelvis or viseral cavity, 

 from which proceed the five hollow arms, each dividing into two, 

 whence, I suppose, proceeded the fingers, tentacula, &c. 



To enable me to shew you the grounds of this supposition, I must 

 place before you a few other fossils, the examination of which will, 

 I trust, lead you to agree with me in the conclusions I think myself 

 authorised to make. I lament the being unable to determine where 

 these fossils were found ; but this circumstance, however to be re- 

 gretted on other accounts, will, fortunately, in no respect interfere 

 with my present object. It is right to observe, that from the similari- 

 ty of their matrix, and from my having obtained them all from one 

 person, there is reason for supposing that they all came from the same 

 place, and I suspect from the Ise of Gothland. 



One of these fossils, Plate XVII. Fig. 4, although very imperfect 

 in some respects, retains sufficient of its original form and matter, to 

 prove that it is of the same species with the fossil just described. 

 Like that fossil, it has a small circular radiated area at its lower part, 

 evidently adopted for articulation with the superior vertebra of the 

 vertebral column ; and, like that fossil, it had five hollow arms, each 

 divided by a partition down the centre. This fossil is entirely filled 

 with a very hard pyritous clay. 



Another, Plate XVII. Fig. 2, is a fragment of either a variety of 

 this species, or of a much larger specimen than those just described ; 

 it has a trochital articulating surface, nearly six times as large as that 

 of the former, with a central pentagonal opening. This surface ap- 

 pears to have been formed by a circular plate, with five obliquely 



