84 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 



as old as this has hitherto been discovered. For a reef-building 

 coral it seems singular to find it in muddy sediment. 



Since the foregoing was written Mr. A. Walker placed in one 

 of the cases a Syringopora he discovered in the Niagara limestones 

 at Thorold, Ont., some years ago. 



PALAEOZOIC SPONGES. 



I have just received from Dr. Head, Chicago, the author's 

 catalogue, " Palceozoic Sponges." Hamilton is credited in it with 

 three new Genera and seven new species of Upper Silurian sponges ; 

 so we cannot complain that the Niagara ones have been neglected. 

 The majority of the Tennessee sponges were, I believe, from the 

 Doctor's personal collection, which was so greatly admired at the 

 World's Fair, Chicago. Unaided by the States or its universities 

 my old friend, at a very considerable expense, prepared for micro- 

 scopical examination a great number of our Hamilton specimens, 

 independent of others he discovered in Tennessee. Strictly he may 

 be right in rejecting detached Spicules ; but if Salter had not figured 

 and described the Cambrian sponge from these fragments (Proto- 

 spongia Fenestrata), which he erroneously ascribes to Walcott, we 

 may never have carried the Hexactineloid sponges back to the Cam- 

 brian age. 



In a paper read before the Geological Section, published in No. 

 lo of the Proceedings of the Hamilton Association, you may remark 

 your chairman expressed his belief that Phyllograptus Dubius 

 (Spencer) belonged to new distinct genera. From Dr. Gurley's letter, 

 he evidently arrives, independently, at this conclusion also. Your 

 chairman was unacquainted with the European Graptolite it resem- 

 bles, not having seen it figured or described. The Retiolites of the 

 Clintons is Hall's Graptolite, but is figured so imperfectly that I am 

 not at all surprised at the Doctor failing to recognize it. The 

 ranching cellules are too far apart or separated. 



