Geological Society of London. 85 



In the course of these remarks, Messrs. King and Kowney, objecting 

 to the specimen from Tudor, of which they have seen the photo- 

 graph, and which was described and figured in 1867 (Q. J. G. S., No. 

 91), suggested that it is nothing more than the result of infiltration 

 of carbonate of lime, with entangled impurities, between two layers 

 of the sandy limestone. They also stated their belief that the term 

 "Eozoonal" is applicable to any of the ophites they describe, inas- 

 much as it was contended that the structure of the latter is similar 

 to that of the Canadian rock containing the so-called Eozoon. 



The authors then proceeded to treat of the supposed foraminiferal 

 characters of "Eozoon." First, as to the '•' cell- wall " or "nummu- 

 line layer," they advanced repeated evidence of the value of their 

 former proofs that the typical form is due to acidulate serpentine 

 (or modified chrysotile) of inorganic origin, having examined, be- 

 sides others, a Canadian specimen presented by Dr. Carpenter. 

 Secondly, nothing new was adduced with regard to the mineral 

 structure of the so-called " intermediate skeleton." Thirdly, in proof 

 that the " chamber-casts " are not of organic origin, the authors 

 referred to their former work, and stated that chondodite and pyral- 

 lolite may be added to the list of minerals that occur, as such disse- 

 minated in limestones. They thought it strange that a carbonate, as 

 well as a silicate, should not have been found filling the so-called 

 chambers ; and they decidedly refused to accept the Tudor specimen 

 having some tubuli filled with calcite, to which they suppose 

 Dawson refers when speaking of chambers filled with calcite, 

 as a case in point ; they were unacquainted with any published in- 

 stances of this mineral being an infilling. Fourthly, reiterating 

 their observations on the so-called "canal-system," they suggested 

 that the globoso-vermicular bodies noticed by Dawson and Giimbel 

 may be metaxite ; and they insisted on the difficulty of explaining the 

 presence of isolated unbroken tube-casts in patches of pure lime- 

 stone. The Madoc specimen, desci'ibed by Dawson as having its 

 " canals " and " chambers " filled with calcite, was next referred to ; 

 and it was argued that the so-called calcite, both in this and in 

 another specimen, described by Carpenter, is doubtful and not 

 proved ; for they had not been able to confirm the accuracy of the 

 observations in these cases, having examined a Canadian specimen, 

 presented by Dr. Carpenter as an example of the kind, which had in 

 it "homogeneous and structureless forms of the canal-system" that 

 were not dissolved in the decalcification. Fifthly, the organic nature 

 of the so-called " stolons," was regarded as quite disproved. Minera- 

 logical considei'ations of Eozoonal rocks were next entered upon ; 

 and from the study of Canadian specimens, and of others from Con- 

 nemara and Neybiggen (?), described in full, the authors concluded 

 that they fully prove the " canal-system," " chamber-casts," and 

 " nummuline layer " to be structural and inorganic modifications of 

 serpentine — that the whole have originated from the change or waste 

 of granrdes, plates, etc., of serpentine ; and they incline to the belief 

 that the calcite of the " intermediate skeleton " is pseudomorphic 

 after one or other form of serpentine by infiltration and replacement. 



