Section IV., 1802. [ 39 ] . Trans?, lioy. Soo. Canada. 



111. — On iJic Corah nnd ConiUifor in Types of Pahtozoh Sti<da. 



JJy E. J. CliAi'MAN, rh.l)., LL.J)., rroffssor ol' Miiieialof»'y aiuKicology iu the 



University ol" Toronto. 



(Kea.l June Iwt, Ivij.) 



Among the Ibssil I'orms ol" post-pahi-ozoic diite refi-rred to the Anthuzoa or Corals 

 proper, very tew, it" any, occupy a debatable position. Many ol" the commonly admitted 

 paheozoic corals, on the other hand, are of more or less doubtlul character, and have thus 

 been placed by some authorities under other subdivisions. Whilst admitting their uncer- 

 tain atlinities, however, it seems impossible to separate these doubtful types on any really 

 satisfactory grounds from the more distinctly coralloidal forms, into which, indeed, they 

 appear to merge by almost insensible transitions. In this paper, therefore, the term 

 " coral " will include all the generally recognized coralloidal types of paheozoic 

 occurrence. 



The great division of the CcKiiENTEKAi A, to which the corals belong, is usually sub- 

 divided into three leading classes : — Hydrozoa, Anthozoa, and Ctenophora. The latter 

 class, represented by a small number of pelagi'-, ciliated types, is an entirely aberrant 

 group, and is without any known fossil representatives. Living Hydrozoa are distin- 

 guished from existing Anthozoa by no very certain characters— many of the supposed 

 distinctions, at one time regarded as characteristic, having been shown of late years to 

 be more or less indefinite ; and it is extremely probable, as suggested by the late Professor 

 Agassiz, that the so-called " tabulated corals " should be referred, really, to this class — 

 the Hydrozoic Millepores forming the connecting link. These tabulated corals, again, 

 offer in many cases a complete transition into the tabulated Rugosa,' the assixmed tetra- 

 merous character of the latter beinii' iu many instances, as shown farther on, either with- 

 out foundation or entirely unrecognizable. It would seem advisable, therefore, in place 

 oi' three, to adopt //ce leading subdivisions in the classification of the Cadenterates gener- 

 ally, as in the annexed tabular synopsis : 



A. — Without natatory cilia. 



AJ — Stomach cavity completely identical with body cavity : 



(i). — Without stony corallum : 



Ct.ass I. Hydrozoa. 

 («). — With calcareous (typically tabulated) corallum : 



'As exemplified, for exainpli^, by the following scries: — FarnnieH—('i>lumnnna—Amplixuf — /uphr' ntis — 

 ( 'yiithophiillum. 



