Sicilian, 

 Older Pliocene. 



lyi PKOCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Allopora ocullna, Ehren. — Original locality unknown . 



CarjophyUia cyathus, Ellis ^ Sol. sp. — British Seas, n 

 Mediterranean. 



Lophohelia prolifera, Pallas. — British Seas, Mediterranean, 

 Florida Seas. )■ , 



Flabellum laciniatum, Ed. cf H. — British Seas. 



Ceratocyathus ornatus, Scff. — Fossil. 



Amphihelia miocenica, Segi. — Fossil. J 



atlantica. Dune. New. 



oculata, Li?i7i. sp. — Mediterranean. 



ornata, Dmic. New. 



profunda, Pourt. New. — West-Indian Seas, Mediterranean and Nor- 

 wegian Seas. 



Balanophyllia socialis, Pourt. New. "l 



Pliobothrus symmetricus, Pourt. New. f 



Thus out of 12 species there are as many as 5 which were before 

 known as fossil only; or if we take the annulled species, there were 

 8, all of which had hitherto been confined to the newer Tertiary beds 

 of Sicily or southern Italy. Unlike the Testacea, which show a rela- 

 tionship to northern forms and to those of our Crag, there is not a 

 single species that Prof. Duncan has been able to refer to the Crag, 

 whilst the connexion with the Mediterranean area and with the seas 

 of Florida and the West Indies is most noticeable. Prof. Duncan 

 regards one or two of the new species as allied to Miocene forms ; 

 but he does not instance a single case of an approach to Cretaceous 

 forms, except possibly in the case of Lophohelia (to the Synhelia of 

 the Chalk) and Bvplohelia, which is really an Amphihelia. 



Among the Corals, however, now under examination from the 

 second expedition of the ' Porcupine ' the Sphenotrochus of the Crag 

 is found (locality Tangier Bay), and some Caryophyllice and Baihy- 

 cyathi of Cretaceous types are to be noticed. 



Thus while the Foraminifera obtained in these deep-sea explora- 

 tions show a strong community of genera and a partial identity of 

 species with chalk Foraminifera, the Sponges markedly representa- 

 tive forms, the Echinoderms allied genera, and the Brachiopoda 

 a similarity of groups, on the other hand, as we ascend in the scale, 

 so far from any resemblance being maintained, we find actual iden- 

 tities with the Upper Miocene *, Pliocene, and Quaternary fauna of 

 western Europe. This seems to point to a possible direct descent in 

 the one case of all those lower forms of life, less influenced by 

 temperature and depth, from the epoch of our chalk, and in the 

 other case to a change of physical conditions, resulting from the 

 * There is nothing which has the facies of the Eocene Molluscan fauna. 



