Dr. W. B. Carpenter on Eozoon canadense. 467 



Cuttell's workshop, as to be almost unbearable. — These facts 

 are not advanced as jprohative^ but simply as affording confir- 

 matory prohahilities. 



3. The arrangement of the two components of the Canadian 

 Ophite is most remarkable, and extremely significant of some 

 process oi progressive construction. In the ordinary type there 

 is a regular alternation of lamellce of Serpentine and Calcite, 

 sometimes to the number oi fifty of each — the thickness of 

 the Calcareous lamella being greater below, and progressively 

 diminishing above, whilst that of the Seii)entinous presents a 

 singular uniformity throughout. When minutely examined, 

 the Calcareous lamellae present appearances strongly sugges- 

 tive to the Micro-Palffiontologist of an organic origin, their 

 crystalline cleavage being common to them with almost every 

 calcareous fossil. On the other hand, the Serpentinous lamellae 

 are seen to be formed by the coalescence of spheroidal seg- 

 ments having a general uniformity of size (see fig. 1, p. 281); 

 while in the upper part of eveiy complete typical specimen, 

 the arrangement of these segments in continuous lamellaj gives 

 place to an in-egular piling of them together, the intervening 

 calcareous walls being very thin. 



4. Fixing our attention in the first instance on the Calcareous 

 portion of this Ophite (fig. 2, p. 282), we recognize in it a 

 general conformity to the Foramiuiferal type, — the lamellated 

 portion showing large " chambers " formed by the coalescence 

 of " chamberlets ; " whilst in the " acervuline " portion tlie 

 chamberlets are isolated, still communicating with each other, 

 however, by apertures through the calcareous septa resembling 

 those of ordinary Foraminifera*. — This transition from a 

 regular plan of growth to the " acervuline " mode is very 

 common in Foraminifera, as must be known to every one 

 who has studied my " Introduction." On the other hand, I 

 have lately come into possession, through the kindness of M. 

 Munier-Chalmas of the Sorbonne Museum, of a new fossil type 

 of Foramiuiferal structure belonging to the Orbiculine group, 

 in which a partial coalescence (or subdivision) of chamberlets, 

 like that of the lamellar portion of Eozoon^ is very distinctly 

 marked, so as to establish precisely the link of connexion 

 which was wanting between the chambers of PeneropUs and 

 the completely-divided chamberlets of Orhiculina. Thus, 

 then, in the general arrangement of the Calcareous component 

 of the Canadian Ophite, there is a marked conformity to the 



* Mr. Carter denies the existence of these passages, simply because he 

 did not tlnd them in the one transparent specimen he examined. He can 

 verify the representation of it given in fig. 2, 66 (p. 282), whenever it may 

 please him to come and examine my specimens. 



