﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist. 
  373 
  

  

  The 
  surface 
  characters 
  of 
  these 
  bodies 
  will 
  be 
  best 
  under- 
  

   stood 
  by 
  consulting 
  the 
  figures 
  of 
  them 
  given 
  upon 
  plate 
  III. 
  

   The 
  best 
  preserved 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  has 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  65 
  mm. 
  

   and 
  an 
  average 
  width 
  of 
  7 
  mm. 
  ; 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  examples 
  have 
  

   about 
  the 
  same 
  width. 
  They 
  are 
  all 
  flattened, 
  showing 
  a 
  similar 
  

   surface 
  on 
  both 
  sides, 
  and 
  a 
  central 
  filling 
  of 
  matrix, 
  and 
  were, 
  

   therefore, 
  undoubtedly 
  cylindrical 
  and 
  hollow 
  bodies. 
  The 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  is 
  closely 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  tubercles 
  or 
  papillae, 
  which 
  

   are 
  sometimes 
  evenly 
  convex, 
  sloping 
  equally 
  in 
  all 
  directions, 
  

   but 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  are 
  elongated 
  longitudinally 
  at 
  their 
  bases, 
  as 
  

   though 
  resting 
  on 
  ridges 
  which 
  are 
  frequently 
  interrupted 
  or 
  

   contracted 
  from 
  close 
  apposition 
  to, 
  or 
  encroachment 
  by 
  adjoin- 
  

   ing 
  ridges. 
  Often 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  lachrymiform 
  appearance 
  

   caused 
  by 
  the 
  abrupt 
  termination 
  at 
  one 
  side, 
  of 
  the 
  ridges 
  upon 
  

   which 
  they 
  rest. 
  The 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  surface 
  of 
  each 
  pus- 
  

   tule 
  bears 
  a 
  small 
  circular 
  pit, 
  which, 
  though 
  shallow, 
  is 
  deep 
  

   enough 
  to 
  penetrate 
  the 
  tenuous 
  coatings 
  of 
  the 
  fossil, 
  and 
  which 
  

   is, 
  from 
  the 
  evidence 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  fossil 
  itself 
  and 
  by 
  a 
  sharp 
  

   external 
  cast, 
  quite 
  smooth, 
  without 
  trace 
  of 
  radial 
  markings 
  or 
  

   septa. 
  

  

  The 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  fossil, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible 
  to 
  determine, 
  is 
  

   the 
  following 
  : 
  The 
  fronds 
  or 
  zoaria 
  are 
  flat, 
  thin, 
  narrow 
  and 
  tape- 
  

   like. 
  Frequently 
  in 
  the 
  specimens 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  minute 
  inter- 
  

   val 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  sides, 
  the 
  space 
  between 
  shewing 
  no 
  trace 
  

   of 
  matrix 
  ; 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  specimens, 
  however, 
  clearly 
  demonstrates 
  

   the 
  existence 
  of 
  an 
  internal 
  tubular 
  cavity, 
  and, 
  inferentially, 
  the 
  

   subcylindical 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  bodies. 
  In 
  a 
  stipe 
  10 
  mm. 
  in 
  diameter, 
  

   the 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  fossil 
  is 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  .5 
  or 
  .3 
  mm. 
  

   The 
  outermost 
  lamina 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  is 
  an 
  extremely 
  tenuous 
  coating 
  of 
  

   chitinous 
  matter 
  which 
  is 
  striated 
  by 
  very 
  fine, 
  subparallel 
  longi- 
  

   tudinal 
  lines 
  (see 
  plate 
  III, 
  fig. 
  1), 
  which 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  interrupted 
  

   throughout 
  their 
  extent. 
  This 
  outer 
  coating 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  easily 
  

   destructible, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  largest 
  example 
  (that 
  represented 
  in 
  figs. 
  3, 
  

   4 
  and 
  6) 
  is 
  not 
  retained. 
  Beneath 
  this 
  outside 
  layer 
  is 
  a 
  thicker 
  

   wall 
  constituted 
  of 
  an 
  outer 
  portion 
  of 
  calcite 
  completely 
  crystall- 
  

   ized 
  into 
  rhombohedrons, 
  and 
  an 
  inner 
  portion 
  of 
  black 
  bitu- 
  

   minous 
  matter. 
  The 
  crystallization 
  of 
  the 
  calcite 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  

   disordered 
  to 
  some 
  degree 
  the 
  usual 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  solid 
  tis- 
  

   sues, 
  and 
  in 
  sections 
  the 
  organic 
  or 
  chitinous 
  substance 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  

  

  