﻿1863.] 
  DUNCAN 
  WEST 
  INDIAN 
  COEALS. 
  25 
  

  

  and 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  corallite 
  is 
  well 
  filled 
  up 
  with 
  dense 
  coral-salts. 
  

   Height 
  lj 
  2 
  ^ 
  inch 
  ; 
  length 
  2-^ 
  inches 
  ; 
  breadth 
  1 
  T 
  2 
  - 
  inch. 
  

   From 
  the 
  Nivaje 
  shale, 
  San 
  Domingo. 
  Coll. 
  Geol. 
  Soc, 
  

  

  5. 
  Teocbzocyathus 
  lateeo-spinoses, 
  Edwards 
  & 
  Haime. 
  

  

  A 
  variety 
  with 
  small 
  spines. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  Nivaje 
  shale, 
  San 
  Domingo. 
  Turin 
  Miocene. 
  Coll. 
  

   Geol. 
  Soc. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  several 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  perfect 
  simple 
  Corals 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   Nivaje 
  shale 
  which 
  are 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  Trochocyatlii, 
  but 
  which 
  present 
  

   structural 
  peculiarities 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  admitted 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  

   family. 
  MM. 
  Milne-Edwards 
  and 
  J. 
  Haime 
  divide 
  the 
  Aporose 
  Ma- 
  

   drepores 
  into 
  families 
  with 
  and 
  without 
  endothecal 
  dissepiments. 
  

   The 
  Turbinolidce 
  have 
  their 
  interseptal 
  loculi 
  open 
  from 
  the 
  top 
  to 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  Coral, 
  no 
  dissepiments 
  closing 
  it 
  in 
  any 
  way, 
  whilst 
  

   the 
  Astrmdes 
  possess 
  the 
  dissepiments. 
  "With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  Turbi- 
  

   nolidce, 
  which 
  contain, 
  amongst 
  other 
  genera, 
  Trocliocyaihus, 
  Para- 
  

   cyathus, 
  and 
  Ccenocyathiis, 
  these 
  authors 
  observe 
  that 
  (Hist. 
  Nat. 
  

   des 
  Corall. 
  vol. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  8), 
  " 
  Ces 
  cloisons 
  sont 
  aussi 
  toujours 
  depourvues 
  

   d'endotheque." 
  And 
  in 
  the 
  monograph 
  of 
  the 
  Corals 
  from 
  the 
  

   Gault 
  (Brit. 
  Eoss. 
  Corals, 
  part 
  1. 
  p. 
  69, 
  Palaeontograph. 
  Soc.) 
  there 
  

   is 
  the 
  following 
  observation 
  : 
  " 
  By 
  their 
  general 
  form 
  all 
  these 
  Corals 
  

   (certain 
  Trocliosmilice 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  Astrceides) 
  much 
  resemble 
  many 
  

   species 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  division 
  Cyathinince, 
  but 
  differ 
  from 
  them 
  

   and 
  all 
  other 
  Turbinolidce 
  by 
  having 
  interseptal 
  dissepiments. 
  " 
  

   Accordingly 
  the 
  family 
  of 
  all 
  simple 
  Corals 
  must 
  be 
  determined 
  by 
  

   the 
  presence 
  or 
  absence 
  of 
  an 
  endotheca. 
  In 
  differing 
  from 
  this 
  

   opinion, 
  I 
  am 
  fortunately 
  supported 
  by 
  nature, 
  and 
  also 
  by 
  an 
  ad- 
  

   mission 
  of 
  Milne-Edwards 
  and 
  his 
  late 
  and 
  much-lamented 
  colleague. 
  

   In 
  a 
  careful 
  dissection 
  of 
  many 
  corallites 
  of 
  a 
  well-marked 
  specimen 
  

   of 
  the 
  recent 
  Coenocyathus 
  anthophyllites, 
  Edwards 
  & 
  Haime, 
  I 
  

   found 
  interseptal 
  dissepiments 
  (see 
  PI. 
  Y. 
  fig. 
  4) 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  vol. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  52 
  

   of 
  MM. 
  Edwards 
  and 
  Haime's 
  work 
  above 
  quoted 
  it 
  is 
  thus 
  written 
  — 
  

   " 
  Les 
  cloisons 
  sont 
  serrees, 
  tres-peu 
  debordants, 
  peu 
  inegales, 
  tres 
  

   granulees, 
  et 
  presentent 
  sur 
  leurs 
  faces 
  des 
  rudiments 
  cle 
  traverses 
  

   lamelleuses" 
  This 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  genus 
  Paracyathus. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  

   the 
  absence 
  or 
  presence 
  of 
  an 
  endotheca 
  is 
  therefore 
  seriously 
  im- 
  

   paired 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  diagnosis, 
  and 
  the 
  coup 
  de 
  grace 
  is 
  given 
  to 
  it 
  

   by 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  Corals 
  now 
  about 
  to 
  be 
  described, 
  which 
  

   before 
  dissection 
  came 
  decidedly 
  under 
  the 
  genus 
  Trochocyatltus, 
  but 
  

   which, 
  after, 
  must 
  be 
  admitted 
  to 
  be 
  TrocJiocyathi 
  with 
  endotheca. 
  

   Their 
  pali, 
  lateral 
  crests, 
  and 
  general 
  habit 
  will 
  not 
  admit 
  of 
  their 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  family 
  Astrceides 
  (Trocliosmilice) 
  : 
  and 
  if, 
  after 
  re- 
  

   consideration 
  and 
  careful 
  internal 
  examination 
  of 
  numerous 
  other 
  

   Trochocyatlii*, 
  no 
  endothecal 
  laminae 
  should 
  be 
  found, 
  the 
  new 
  

   forms 
  will 
  be 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  new 
  genus 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  it 
  is, 
  I 
  place 
  them 
  

   provisionally 
  amongst 
  the 
  Trochocyatlii 
  with 
  crests 
  {armies). 
  

  

  * 
  I 
  have 
  lately 
  found 
  dissepiments 
  (endothecal) 
  in 
  some 
  specimens 
  of 
  Trocho- 
  

   cyaihus 
  cornucopia 
  from 
  the 
  Tertiaries 
  of 
  Malaga. 
  

  

  