ON THE PEDIGREE OF THE CORAL-REEFS OF ENGLAND. 207 
appearing of which the transitions were palpable. The error was in arguing 
from the particular to the general ; that is, in saying that if L produces M, 
then A must have been the ancestor of L, which is absurd. 
“Mr. Pattison scores a strong point in his extract from Dr. Wright’s paper 
(p. 208), 
“<«There is no evidence of any gradual development having taken place in 
the class from alower to a higher type of coraligenous structures. The old 
corals of the ancient reefs appear to have been as highly organised and as 
elaborately constructed as the modern corals now building reefs in our 
tropical seas.’ 
“T think it is quite sufficient for the author’s purpose to have proved that 
in existing genera there is no proof of evolution in corals, and that the most 
ancient are as elaborate in organisation and construction as are those 
that at present exist ; while it is also important to note that while elaborated 
in number of genera and species, there are yet remnants in later days, of 
old generic forms, thus proving Persistence of Type ; and from finding no 
instances of the metamorphosis or transmutation of corals into other 
Actinozoa we may take our standpoint on—at least—the lowest grounds, 
in asserting that the intricate systems of organic beings move in collateral 
spirals, either ascending (numerically), practically stationary, or descending 
and degrading ; and that though there are degraded and low forms in many 
orders which nearly approximate similar forms in other orders, yet there is 
no proof—but rather the contrary—that the lowest forms of closely connected 
orders had originally some yet lower common ancestor from which both 
sprang. 
“Let us adhere to the grand, yet simple words of that much-maligned 
Gen. i. ‘ Whose seed was in itself, after his kind,’ and we shall not err. 
These words are truly elastic, yet most dogmatic and definite. 
“T wish the author had given us his theories as to the cause of the 
tropical heat in these latitudes which allowed for the gigantic coral beds in 
England, that cover so largé an area, and form such an important part of the 
deposits in these localities in those bygone ages. I believe a minimum 
heat of water of not less than 66° Fahr. is necessary for the existence of 
corals.” 
Mr. R. J. HAammMonv.—The description Mr. Pattison has given of those old 
coral reefs is so charming that it will long remain on the retina of my mind ; 
but, although this is the case, I cannot help thinking there are certain loose 
expressions in the paper which it would be well to have put in a more definite 
form. On page 200 of the paper we have the Syringopora mentioned in con- 
nexion with the Upper Silurian series, but the author goes right through the 
Devonian rocks without alluding to that order, and then, coming to the 
Carboniferous strata, we get to the Syringopora again. Of course, Mr. Patti- 
son does not consider there have been two distinct creations of the same 
creature. Doubtless, he would say the creation is to be dated to the Upper 
Silurian, and that the order existed through the Devonian, although it is not 
mentioned in connexion with that series. In fact, it must have lived through 
that epoch because we come upon it again in the Carboniferous series. I 
would put it to Mr. Pattison whether, as this particular order is not men- 
tioned in the Devonian period, other creatures may not have been passed 
over in asimilar manner? Then, again, on page 202 he quotes Dr. Wright, 
the author saying, “No genera of the Palsozoic epoch have been found in 
