THE LOWER FORMS OF LIFE. 



57 



group of hills or mountains having such a range ? The coasts of 

 Australia are crowded with living Foraminifera ; in fact, they are 

 found in the soundings of most tropical seas, and the greater the 

 depth, as a rule, the larger the specimens. They occupy fifty per 

 cent, of the ooze in the deeper waters of the Mediterranean, Adriatic, 

 Bed Sea, Canaries, West Indian Islands, east and west coasts of 

 South America, St. Helena, and Isle of France. 



70 



70a 



71 



Fig. 70. Nummulites complanaia, with a portion of calcareous covering removed. 

 Fig. 70a. The same seen edgewise. 



Fig. 71. Three separate cells, showing the minute opening (seen as three white dots in the 

 cut) by which they communicate with each other (after Haughton). 



Fig. 70 gives a representation of one of the most abundant species 

 of fossil Nummulite, with a portion of the calcareous shell removed 

 to show the internal structure, which, it will be observed, consists 

 of a succession of cells, placed as in Orbitolites, concentrically. In 

 Fig. 70a the bevelled edge is shown. In Fig. 71 the small openings 

 through which the cells communicate with each other are seen. 



Fig. ll.Nummulinaplanulata (recent) ; diam. one-twelfth to one sixteenth of an inch. 

 Fig. 73. Same seen edgewise (after Williamson). 



Figs. 72 and 73 represent the only known species of Nummulite 



