ORYCTOLOG?. 



sents tliis fossil m its usual state : and at 

 fig". 5 is shewn the appearance yielded by 

 n transverse section. Tubipora fuscicu- 

 laris, T. stcllata, T. repens, and T. strues, 

 which have been described by different 

 authors, and which are unlike to any 

 known recent Tubipore, give reason for 

 supposing that the number of species of 

 fossil Tubipores exceeds that of the re- 

 cent species. 



The fossil Madrepores are not less rich 

 in variety, nor less comparatively nume- 

 rous, than the fossils of the preceding 

 genus. The forms of several species of 

 the fossil Madrepores do frequently ap- 

 proach to those of the different recent 

 species; but in a considerable number of 

 the fossil Madrepores no resemblance is 

 discoverable, except in their stelliform 

 openings, with any recent coral. So 

 great indeed is this departure in some 

 instances from the general characters of 

 our present known Madrepores, that it 

 lias been deemed difficult to determine, 

 whether some fossil specimens should 

 be considered as Madrepores or as Al- 

 cyonia. It is impossible, without the 

 aid of numerous figures, to give satis- 

 factory notions of the forms of the 

 several fossil Madrepores which have 

 been hitherto discovered ; the most in- 

 teresting only will therefore be here par- 

 ticularized. 



The Madrepores consisting of a single 

 star appear to be much more numerous in 

 a mineral than in a recent state. These 

 are either of a discoidal form, having a 

 concave superior and a convex inferior 

 surface ; of a pyramidal top-like form, 

 terminating in a pedicle ; or of a length- 

 ened pyramidal form, bearing in some, 

 from a slight curvature, the appearance 

 of the horn of an animal; whilst others 

 are cylindrical for a considerable part of 

 their length. 



The first of these, Madrepora porpita, 

 the shirt-button Madrepore, has been 

 long known to the collectors of fossils in 

 this kingdom. Dr. Woodward describes 

 several of them, as mycetitx discoides. 

 The second species (Madrepora turbina- 

 ta) is also frequently found in different 

 parts of Great Britain, as well as in Swe- 

 den, Norway, and in several parts of 

 France, Switzerland, and Italy. These 

 latter fossils have been termed by Dr. 

 Woodward mycetitse conoides seu calyci- 

 formes. When they have acquired some- 

 what of a hornlike shape, they have been 

 distinguished by the term ceratites ; and 

 when they have possessed more of the 

 cylindrical form, they have been termed 



columelli lapidei et hippuritje ; and from 

 a supposed resemblance, they have been 

 also considered as the petrified roots of 

 briony. Some of the single starred co- 

 rals are found united at their pedicle, 

 and approaching- towards each other at 

 their summits, though disjoined nearly 

 through their whole length. These, from 

 their resemblance to petrified reeds, 

 have been named junci lapidei. 



It would be useless to attempt, in this 

 sketch, to specify the considerable varie- 

 ty of fossil Madrepores formed of aggre- 

 gated circular stars, and which have been 

 designated as astroites, &c. Those which 

 are composed of angulated stars are, per- 

 haps, not so numerous : many of these, 

 however, are very different in their ap- 

 pearance from those which are known in 

 a recent state. The one most known in 

 these islands is the lithostrotion, sive ba- 

 saltes striatus et stellatus, of Llwyd ; the 

 exact union of the sides of the polygons 

 giving a tolerably correct idea of minute 

 basaltes. The compound Madrepores, 

 the stelliform part of which are extend- 

 ed in undulating labyrinthean forms, 

 appear to be much less numerous as fos- 

 sils than any of the other corals : their 

 existence in a silicious state very rarely 

 occurs. 



The Milleporae do not appear to be 

 nearly so frequently found in a mineral as 

 in a recent state. Several fossils have 

 been placed among the Millepores, which 

 undoubtedly should rank with the Ma- 

 drepores : such are the Millepora sim- 

 plex turbinata, and the Millepora simplex 

 discoides, of Waller and Gesner ; a care- 

 ful examination shewing, that these dif- 

 fer from the porpital and turbinated 

 Madrepores only in their being formed 

 of numerous tubes, possessing an internal 

 stellated structure. 



Of the genus Isis one species only ap- 

 pears to be known as a fossil. This spe- 

 cies was at first described by Scilla, who 

 at first conjectured it to be the leg-bone 

 of some animal. Specimens are fre- 

 quently found in the Calabrian mountains, 

 and have lately been also found in some 

 parts of Wiltshire. Of the genus Celle- 

 pora, Antipathes, and Gorgonia, fossil 

 specimens appear to be rather uncom- 

 mon. 



The Corallo Fungitx of Waller are evi- 

 dently the fossil remains of Alcyonia. 

 These have been long described by Volk- 

 mann, Scheuchzer, and others, as fossil 

 fruits, and have obtained, from their re- 

 semblance to figs, &.c. the appellations of 

 ficoides, caricoides, &c. ; whilst others 



