202 REPORT ON THE STATE CABINET. 



duction to the Decade above referred to. Were we to adopt the names of 

 parts proposed by Huxley and Allman in their studies of the Hydrozoa, 

 it would require some changes of the language used in the description 

 of the parts of the Graptolite ; and while there may be advantages in 

 the application of such terms, I can see little objection to retaining those 

 already in use. 



I. Nature and, Form of Graptolites. 



The name Gi-cqjtoHthus , originally proposed by Linn^us in the first 

 edition of his " Systema Naturce" (1736), was applied by him to objects 

 of entirely different character from those now known as Graptolites, and 

 included fucoidal and other markings of the rock surfaces, dendrites 

 and ruin-marble. 



In the twelfth edition of his S^stema (1767), Linnaeus included under 

 this generic form several species, only one of which, the G. scalaris, cited 

 from his Scanian Travels, is a true Graptolite according to the modern 

 restriction of the generic term. The figure of this species has been 

 several times reproduced by authors ; and very recently, Mr. Carruthers, 



in the Intellectual Observer, 



Fig. 1. ' 



has published a fac-simile of the 

 original, which I have copied, as 

 well as the translation of Lin- 

 NoEUs's description, from "Skanska 

 Besa," p. 147. Figure 1 is fac- 

 simile of the original figure of 

 Gi'ajjtoUthus scalaris. 



Petrefaction of Graptolites of a curious kind, found in a slab of slate that 

 had been broken to pieces; the black characters of which, upon the gray stone, 

 resembled a line such as might be printed by a coin on its edge, and often ter- 

 minate in spiral ends. 



In this case, the spiral ends can have had no connection with the linear 

 fossil figured, but belong to a very distinct species, perhaps to G. convo- 

 lutus of Hisinger (PI. 35, Sup. fig. 7), or to a similar form. To all 

 persons acquainted with these fossils, the figure of Linn^us represents a 

 Graptolite so preserved as to show the cell-apertures directed, partially 

 at least, towards the upper margin ; but there has been a difference of 

 opinion among naturalists as to whether it belongs to a species with a 

 single series of cells {Monograjytus), or to one with a double series {Biplo- 



