170 FE’. B. Meek on the Carboniferous and Cretaceous 
own language. They are as follows:—‘Je suis arrivé la con 
Viction qu’ aprés les foraminiféres, les brachiopodes sont les plus 
mauvaises fossiles dont on puisse se servir comme fossiles caracté 
istiques des formations, et qu’en réalité ils ne sont meme pasdi 
tout les Leitmuschel. J’ ignore ou les zoologistes placent le 
brachiopodes, ou meme s’ils sont d’ accord entre eux sur la plate 
4 leur assigner; mais ces sont certainement des etres tresinle 
rieurs et plus bas méme dans la série que les coraux, si jen Ue 
du moins d’aprés leur utilité pour la geologie pratique.” 
This is certainly very hard on the Brachiopoda; it was bad 
enough to place them in any sense of the word below the Cont 
but to deny them the right, next to the Foraminifera, to — 
tify in regard to the age of the very rocks to which their shells 
have so largely contributed is still worse. Whatever zoologss 
may think of this view respecting the rank of the Brachiopots 
® gists and paleontologists, however, are not likely to agree withh 
That in the hands of one who first makes up his mind i 
gard to the age of a formation from its color and other fe 
ical characters, and then sets to work to interpret its foss! 
et LULa, ¢ an : & 
__ the Brachiopoda will be found of little use, and their ear 
arn ‘diseordant, is quite natural to suppose. Under other ¢ “af? 
__ Stanees, however, the result is always very different. ie 
all, the Brachiopoda have less reason to complain of Mr. * 
fou's practical, than of his theoretical dealings with the™ 
| ™ British Foss. Brach, Genl. Introduction, p. 1. 
