228 



Canadian Record of Science. 



Oldhamia. 



By G. F. Matthew, LL.D., F.R.S.C. 



Fig. 1. Fascicle of Oldhamia mag. f, Cambrian, Div. 1 b, 

 Caton's Island, N.B. , Canada. 



About twelve years ago (1888) the writer collected from 

 the Cambrian rocks of the St. John Group a fossil which 

 he thought to be a fascicle of Oldhamia. 



The object was not described at the time, because he 

 had hopes that in later explorations he might meet with 

 better examples, or others that would throw a better light 

 on the structural details of the fossil. This expectation 

 was not realized, and therefore it seems desirable to put 

 on record the description of this object, hoping that others 

 may be able to supplement the information here given. 



Oldhamia is an interesting form, of which the first 

 examples were found in the Wicklow Mountains in Ire- 

 land, and were described by Edward Forbes. At first and 

 for a number of years it was regarded as a characteristic 

 fossil of the Lowest Cambrian, but later discoveries have 

 given a wider range to the genus. 



Eobert Etheridge, Jr., says that Forbes regarded these 

 iorms as probably belonging to the Polyzoa or Hydrozoa ; 

 but Mr. Busk, a high authority on the Polyzoa, did not 

 recognize them as of that class, and suggested that they 

 might be corallines after the type of Acetabulifera. Rev. 

 Mr. Berkly also suggested this seaweed as a probable ally, 

 because the structure, though jointed, showed no trace of 

 definite cells such as Bryozoa (or Polyzoa) and Hydrozoa 

 have. 



