42 



alveola, he thinks, must still remain among the belemnites, Descript. 

 Tub. Marin. p. 9, &c. 



How far he was led in his suspicions, respecting these bodies, may be 

 inferred from the following remarks : " Neque diffitebimur, probabi- 

 lem esse conjecturam illorum haud levibus suffultam ratiociniis, qui 

 belemnitas prussicas omnes, proprie lyncuriorum nomine insignitos, pro 

 radiis animalium marinorum hactenus incognitorum reputant: quae 

 animalia, si non ad classem echinorum pertinerent, proxime tamen ad 

 echinos accederent; nee dessent rationes, quae difficultates a cavitati- 

 bus conicis, rimis alveolisque petitas sufficienter removerent ; et quseso, 

 quid turn amplius obstaret, quin omnes Belemnita, Radii, vel Echinorum 

 vel similium animalium marinorum forent ! In praesenti propositi nostri 

 non est, aliorum causam agere : nobis incumbit ut claviculis, quas laeves 

 nuncupamus, patrocinemur, ita ut vix sufficiens ratio dissentientium 

 appareat, ob quam illae a radiorum echinitorum familia removeantur, et 

 Belemnitarum classe inscribantur." De AcuL Echin. p. 54. He then 

 proceeds to show, that among the dactyliform bodies, assumed to be 

 belemnites, there are some, one of the extremities of which would apply 

 exactly on the papillary protuberance of an echinus; and quotes the 

 authority of Rumphius for the fact of the pallisadoe-like spines, scattered 

 on the sea-shore, passing into a spathose substance. 



It is with much pleasure that I find myself able, not only to confirm 

 the observations made by Klein, but to point out the probable cir- 

 cumstance on which the perplexing ambiguity with respect to these 

 bodies has depended. It appears, that the original matter of the pali- 

 sadoe-like echinal spine, and that of the belemnite, are both of such 

 a nature, that on impregnation with a fluid holding carbonate of 

 lime, in solution, they become a spathose substance, similar in colour 

 and in form of crystallization : a fact which, I trust, will be found to 

 assist very much in making out the original nature of that curious sub- 

 stance, the belemnite. 



