ON CRETACEOUS POLYZOA. 317 



1840. Genus Meucertites, Roemer. 



Division C. Melicertitina, Pergens.' 



In my last report on Cretaceous Polyzoa I accepted the divisions 

 formulated by Dr. Marssou and Dr. Pergens as the latest attempt — by 

 no means satisfactory — to classify Cretaceous Polyzoa. The EJea and 

 Melicertitina groups have always been very difficult to deal with, espe- 

 cially the Upper- Cretaceous forms, as the 'closure' cells in the zoarium 

 closely resemble the ' closm'e' cells of the Carboniferous Pohjpora tuherculata. 

 Until quite recently it has been customary to place Pohjpora species 

 amongst the Cyclostomata, but their true position must be left for the 

 present. Since writing my last report I have had ample opportunity to 

 study Cretaceous examples of Meliceriiies, which, though very abundant 

 as individuals in the Chatham Chalk, are by no means abundant as 

 species. I am now quite prepared to agree with Mr. A. W. Waters in 

 his estimate of the genus. In a recent paper - that author has shown 

 that the true Cheilostomatous characters, such as Avicularia, found in 

 Cretaceous species, are sufficiently indicative as to their natural location 

 as regards grouping. For the present, however, I can only give a record 

 of the species already met with. 



111. Melicertites DoUfussi, Perg., ' Revis. des Bryoz.,' p. 395, fig. 4. 



112. „ semiclausa, Mich. (Id., I. c, p. 394). 



113. „ semiclausa, forma Lorieri, d'Orb., ' Terr. Cret.,' pi. 



601, figs. 18, 20. 



114. „ propinqua (Nodelea), Mars., ' Riigen,' pi. 5, fig. 1. 



115. ,, propinqua, Mars. ; or variety. 



116. ,, ? Near Glaviclausa globulosa, d'Orb., 'Terr. Cret.,' 



pi. 765, fig. 15. 



There is still another very doubtful genus, as regards proper location, 

 which for the present I place here for convenience only. 



1887. Genus Epidictyon, "Marsson. 



1850=Siphoniotyphlus, Lonsdale, ' Geol. Sua.,' p. 341. 

 1874. Lanceopora, Reuss, ' Planers,' 1874, p. 130. 



117. Epidictyon tenue. Hag. (1840), according to Marsson, ' Die 



Bryoz., &c., Riigen,' p. 17. 



1801. Genus Eschara, Lam. (see d'Orb., 'Terr. Cret.,' pp. 96-104, for 



history of the genus). 



The genus Eschara holds an important place in the classification of 

 d'Orbigny and other Continental writers on Polyzoa, but ^ Mr. Hincks 

 and Mr. Waters, in dealing with recent and fossil species, break up the 

 group considerably. It is certainly an unmanageable group whenever 

 reliance is placed upon the bilaminate character for diagnostic purposes. 

 Yet the genus, as understood and worked by d'Orbigny and others, is a 

 most interesting one, and so far as I am aware it reached its climax in the 

 Cretaceous epoch. D'Orbigny describes and illustrates 80 species as 

 belonging to the Chalk of France. Marsson describes several species as 



' See Report on Fossil Polyzoa, Brit. Assoc. Rep., 1890, p. 380. 

 ' Ann. Nay. Nat. Hist., S. 6, vol. viii., pp. 4S-53. 



