244 G. W. SHRUBSOLE ON THE VARIOUS SPECIES OE 



the remaining species left nndescribed by Prof. M'Coy. Before doing 

 so I ought perhaps to say something more in justification of the ex- 

 treme course I have adopted in setting aside the several species of 

 Lonsdale's Fenestellce, and will therefore notice them more in detail. 



Penestella antiqua, Lonsd., Murch. Sil. Syst. p. 678, pi. 15. fig. 16. 



This is the first of Lonsdale's species, and synonymous vrith the 

 Gorgonia antiqua, Goldf., which has long been accepted as a Fene-' 

 Stella. This reference to Goldfuss's well-known drawing clears up 

 any mystery there may be about Lonsdale's species. Goldfuss's type 

 is from the Devonian of the Eifel. A very superficial acquaintance 

 with the subject is sufiicient to enable any one to know that there is 

 little affinity between the Devonian and Silurian forms of Fenestella. 

 On the other hand, the Devonian may well be compared with the 

 Carboniferous. I have no doubt that the Gorgonia antiqua, Goldf., 

 is the equivalent of the Fenestella plebeia, M'Coy. On the other 

 hand, I know of no species in the Dudley Limestone that could be 

 compared with Gorgonia antiqua, Goldf., or its better-known repre- 

 sentative the Fenestella pleheia, M'Coj'. In this view I am borne 

 out by Prof. M'Coy, w^ho states that Gorgonia antiqua, Goldf., "does 

 not probably occur in Silurian strata"*. The principal point of re- 

 semblance that I see between the drawings of Lonsdale's and Gold- 

 fuss's species is, that they are both very much denuded and unfit for 

 typical work. If I might hazard a conjecture as to the species, from 

 the fragment figured by Lonsdale, I should say that it is an eroded 

 fragment of the somewhat overdrawn Fenestella rigidula, M'Coy. 

 The unsoundness of this reference to Gorgonia antiqua, Goldf., is 

 seen in the fact that some years later Murchison, in ' Siluria,' states 

 that Fenestella antiqua, Lonsd., is now assigned to Fenestella suh- 

 antiqua,'B'Oxh.'\', and further mentions that it is both an Upper and 

 Lower Silurian species. 



Fenestella prisca, Lonsd., Murch. Sil. Syst. p. 678, pi. 15. figs. 15 

 & 18. 



Several drawings of the conical base of this species are given as 

 tj^pical examples of Fenestella-gToy^^ih to illustrate the genus. Most 

 of them are so disfigured by the coral growth previously mentioned, 

 as wholly to conceal the Fenestellat- Again, the type is from the 

 Devonian of the Eifel, the Retepora prisca, Goldf., and with no more 

 success than in the case of Fenestdla antiqua ; for, apart from other 

 considerations, the drawing of the Silurian species when enlarged 

 scarcely equals the natural size of Retepora prisca, Goldf. This 

 difference in size is fatal to its identity with Goldfuss's species, 

 apart from the indistinctness of the drawings. Indeed the error 

 seems to be admitted, since in Murchison's ' Siluria ' it is mentioned 

 that the Fenestella formerly referred by Mr. Lonsdale to Fenestella 

 prisca, Goldf., is now Fenestella Lonsdalei, D'Orb.§ The drawing of 



* Brit. Pal. Foss. p. 50. t Murch. Siluria, p. 180. 



\ Murch. Sil. Syst.pl. 15. figs. 15*, 15 a ^, 156*, 15 <? *. 

 § Murch. Siluria, p. 216. 



