Palaeozoic Corah from Northern Queensland. 279 



the tubes are extensively porous and cribriform, being pierced 

 by numerous apertures, which place the visceral chambers in 

 direct communication. Transverse sections also serve admir- 

 ably to show the character of the irregular trabecular septa, some 

 of which are simply spiniform, while others divide towards 

 their inner extremities, or even unite with their neighbours 

 by their free ends. Vertical sections show that the septa are, 

 upon the whole, placed in longitudinal rows ; and they exhibit 

 occasionally horizontal trabecules (fig. 3, B), which may be 

 regarded as of the nature of rudimentary tabular 



Fia:. 3. 



Part of a transverse section of Areeopora australis, Nich. & Eth., 

 Jun., enlarged eight times, showing the trabecular septa and 

 porous walls. B. Part of a vertical section of the same, similarly 

 enlarged, showing the cribriform character of the walls, the septa, 

 and the rudimentary tabulse. Devonian, Queensland (Daintree 

 collection). 



From a consideration of the above characters it cannot be 

 doubted that we have to deal in Areeopora with a genuine 

 " Perforate " Coral, which, however, is closely related to the 

 Favositidas, and may be best placed in this family rather than 

 in any of the more regular groups of the Perforata. By the 

 characters of its walls and septa the genus presents certain 

 alliances with the Poritidae ; but its general form and aspect 

 are those of a Favosites ; and the presence of rudimentary 

 tabulse would further confirm the view here taken. Among 

 the genera of the Favositidre its nearest ally is to be found in 



