﻿The 
  Fauna 
  of 
  the 
  Niagara 
  Group. 
  145 
  

  

  been 
  overthrown, 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  fragile 
  portions 
  dismembered 
  

   by 
  the 
  slow 
  process 
  of 
  maceration 
  in 
  a 
  quiet 
  sea. 
  

  

  From 
  what 
  we 
  know 
  of 
  the 
  locality, 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  certain 
  that 
  

   many 
  thousands 
  of 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  Eucalyptocrinus 
  have 
  been 
  

   gathered 
  from 
  the 
  strata 
  within 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  

   yards, 
  and 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  these 
  bodies, 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  many 
  

   hundreds, 
  have 
  been 
  collected 
  and 
  preserved. 
  These 
  organisms 
  

   appear 
  to 
  have 
  grown 
  in 
  great 
  abundance 
  and 
  in 
  close 
  proxim- 
  

   ity, 
  with 
  their 
  stems 
  of 
  only 
  moderate 
  length, 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  

   aspect 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  like 
  a 
  garden 
  of 
  lilies 
  or 
  tulips. 
  

  

  The 
  specimen 
  figure 
  5 
  of 
  plate 
  17 
  may 
  serve 
  as 
  an 
  example 
  

   of 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  growth. 
  The 
  illustration 
  is 
  from 
  a 
  young 
  

   individual 
  of 
  E. 
  crassus. 
  lying 
  horizontally 
  upon 
  the 
  calcar- 
  

   eous 
  shale, 
  the 
  stem 
  turned 
  downward 
  from 
  the 
  natural 
  vertical 
  

   position 
  to 
  a 
  horizontal 
  one, 
  without 
  breaking 
  or 
  dismember- 
  

   ment, 
  and 
  the 
  rootlets 
  still 
  remaining 
  as 
  they 
  grew, 
  penetrating 
  

   the 
  calcareous 
  sediment. 
  The 
  prolific 
  condition 
  of 
  this 
  ancient 
  

   sea 
  is 
  shown 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  stems 
  of 
  crinoids 
  while 
  

   still 
  living 
  have 
  been 
  overgrown 
  by 
  corals 
  ; 
  and 
  shells 
  of 
  

   Gasteropods, 
  in 
  their 
  most 
  perfect 
  and 
  unworn 
  condition, 
  are 
  

   overgrown 
  by 
  Bryozoa 
  and 
  Articulata. 
  

  

  The 
  specimen, 
  figure 
  8 
  of 
  plate 
  19, 
  is 
  an 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  base 
  

   of 
  Eucalyptocrinus, 
  remaining 
  apparently 
  in 
  precisely 
  the 
  

   original 
  condition, 
  with 
  the 
  rootlets 
  penetrating 
  the 
  calcareous 
  

   mud 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  grew. 
  The 
  figures 
  6 
  and 
  7 
  show 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  

   columns 
  and 
  the 
  rootlets 
  of 
  two 
  strong 
  individuals 
  attached 
  to 
  

   the 
  overturned 
  calyx 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  Eucalyptocrinus 
  cailatus. 
  

   In 
  the 
  vertical 
  view, 
  there 
  are 
  visible 
  two 
  other 
  roots 
  of 
  smaller 
  

   very 
  young 
  individuals. 
  In 
  the 
  lateral 
  view, 
  figure 
  7, 
  the 
  

   rootlets 
  are 
  broken 
  off 
  by 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  shale 
  which 
  em- 
  

   bedded 
  them, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  here 
  seen 
  that 
  a 
  Bryozoon 
  has 
  encrusted 
  

   the 
  rootlet 
  upon 
  one 
  side. 
  These 
  bases 
  of 
  columns 
  and 
  root- 
  

   lets 
  are 
  also 
  found 
  growing 
  upon 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  Platyostoma 
  

   and 
  Strophostylus, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  upon 
  the 
  calyces 
  of 
  Crinoids. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  examples 
  of 
  these 
  roots 
  of 
  Eucalypto- 
  

   crinus 
  is 
  illustrated 
  on 
  plate 
  20. 
  The 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  root- 
  

   lets 
  in 
  their 
  finest 
  fibres 
  has 
  been 
  several 
  inches 
  greater 
  than 
  

   shown 
  in 
  the 
  figure, 
  and 
  the 
  entire 
  extent 
  was 
  probably 
  not 
  

   less 
  than 
  ten 
  inches. 
  Portions 
  of 
  specimens 
  sometimes 
  occur 
  

   where 
  the 
  rootlets 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  extended, 
  becoming 
  quite 
  

   filiform, 
  but 
  rarely 
  if 
  ever 
  traceable 
  to 
  their 
  final 
  extremities 
  

   in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  breaking 
  or 
  exfoliation 
  of 
  the 
  shale. 
  

  

  The 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  these 
  undisturbed 
  roots 
  and 
  the 
  finer 
  

   rootlets, 
  standing 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  grew 
  upon 
  the 
  

   16 
  

  

  