Mr. C. Wachsmuth on Paleozote Crinotds. 379 
ever, seems to point out that Purisiphonia did not belong to 
the Huplectellide, nor to the hexactinellids with scopuliform 
spicules, as in all these, so far as my observation extends, the 
rays of the rosette are arranged en fleur-de-lis. 
Lastly, we learn from Mr. Moore’s paper that specimens of 
this sponge are not uncommon in the calcareous boulders 
which are found in the ‘brittle marl” of the Creek of Wol- 
lumbilla, and among the “ grits and sandstones ”’ of the neigh- 
bouring plains, indicating, from the other fossils which they 
contain, and their worn state, that such boulders belong to a 
drift deposit, and originally came from Upper-Oolitic and Cre- 
taceous strata, which have previously existed in Australia in 
their entirety, if this be not the case now, in some parts as 
yet undiscovered. 


XLIV.—WNotes on the Internal and External Structure of 
Paleozoic Crinoids. By CHARLES WACHSMUTH*. 
THE structure of fossil Crinoids has occupied the attention 
of many able writers; and numerous ingenious and plausible 
theories have been advanced to demonstrate the physiological 
functions of the various parts of their complicated organization. 
The results of investigations heretofore made have been by no 
means harmonious; and newly discovered evidence renders 
many of these theories wholly unsatisfactory. I have been 
favoured with unusual facilities for obtaining accurate know- 
ledge upon many of the questions involved in these researches, 
and therefore hope that I may contribute useful information 
on the subject. The collections of eighteen years at Burling- 
ton, Iowa, have brought to light material, unrivalled elsewhere, 
for this study. I have obtained upwards of four hundred spe- 
cies of Crinoids at that locality, many of the specimens in 
such a condition that not only the whole calcareous skeleton 
of the animal, but even the most delicate internal organs are 
preserved almost as perfectly as in those dredged from our pre- 
sent seas. Careful observations, extending through many 
years, and study of this material in connexion with extensive 
collections from other formations, have enabled me to add to 
the present knowledge of these forms many interesting and 
important facts, and have led me to conclusions which I pre- 
sent in the following pages. 
1. The Mouth and the Tubular Skeleton below the Vault. 
The apparent absence of a mouth has proved to be one of 
* From ‘Silliman’s American Journal,’ August 1877. 
