60 Geological Societij. 



which, he says, is not au Alga, but a woody terrestrial plaut. The 

 author did not state that Prototaxites actually belonged to the 

 Taxinese, but that its fossilized wood showed a resemblance to 

 that of some fossil Taxineae. The remains discovered by Dr. Hicks 

 differ, as already recognized by Mr. Etheridge, from Prototaxites 

 Logani, Daws. ; and the species may be named P. Hicl'sii. 



Of Pacliytheca the author stated that he had specimens from the 

 Upper Silurian of New Brunswick, and these and the Welsh specimens 

 seem to belong to the genus JEtheotesta, Brongn., and to be nearly 

 allied to ^-E. devonica, Daws., from the Devonian of Scotland. These 

 fossils occur associated with Prototaxites, not only at Corweii, but in 

 the Upper Ludlow of England, in the Upper Silurian of Cape Bon 

 Ami, and in the Lower Devonian of Bordeaux quarry opposite 

 Campbellton in New Brunswick ; and as the author maintains 

 jEtheotesta to be a seed, and Brongniart compared it with the seeds 

 of the Taxinese, this may be taken as additional evidence in favour 

 of the Taxine or, at any rate, Gymnospermatous nature of Proto- 

 taxites. 



December 7, 1881.— R. Etheridge, Esq., F.E.S., 

 President, in the Chair. 



The following communications were read : — 



1. " On some new or little-known Jurassic Crinoids." By P. 

 Herbert Carpenter, Esq., M.A. Communicated by Prof. P.Martin 

 Duncan, M.B. Lond., F.li.S., F.G.S. 



The author first described in detail a species from the Great 

 Oolite, principally of Lansdown, and hence known as the " Lans- 

 down Encrinite." It was described in 1828 by Dr. J. E. Gray as 

 Encrinitcs {Apiocrinites) Prattii, and subsequently by Goldfuss as 

 Apiocrinites obconicus, and by D'Orbigny as MiUericrimis ohconicus, 

 whilst Bronn, in 1848, recorded it as Millericrinus Pratti. The 

 stem varies greatly in length and in the number of its joints ; and 

 from the characters presented by the fossils the author came to the 

 conclusion that the species was cither pedunculate or free ; and he 

 cited various examples of nearly allied pedunculate and free Crinoids. 

 The general aspect of the calyx, the component plates of which were 

 described in detail, is exceedingly pentacrinoid, whether it is viewed 

 from the side or from above ; and the arm-joints are short and 

 nearly oblong in outline, having pinnules alternately upon opposite 

 sides. The nearest allies of Millericrinus Prattii are M. Nodotianus, 

 d'Orb., and the var. Buchianus of M. Mimsterianus ; and of Penta- 

 crini the one which most resembles it in the characters of the 

 calyx is the North-Atlantic P. WyviUe-Thomsoni. 



The remainder of the paper was devoted to the description of two 

 Jurassic Comatula3, namely Antedon calloviensis, from the Kelloway 

 Eock, described before the Society on June 22, 1881, and a new 

 species, Antedon latiradia, from the Great OoHte of Bradford. 



