﻿NODOSINELLA. — STACHEIA. 107 



Distribution. — A rare species ; it occurs in both the Lower and Upper Carboniferous 

 Limestones of England, but in a very limited number of localities ; in Ireland, in the 

 Castle Espie shale ; possibly also in the Calcaire de Namur of Belgium, but in the 

 latter case the specimens are more than usually obscure and doubtful. 



Genus — Stacheia, gen. nov. 

 Webbina (in part), Brady. 



General Characters. — Test (normally) adherent, composed either of numerous 

 segments subdivided in their interior, or of an acervuline mass of chamberlets, sometimes 

 arranged in layers, sometimes confused. Texture subarenaceous, imperforate. 



From time to time during the examination of foraminiferous material from 

 Carboniferous beds, minute parasitic structures, bearing some sort of resemblance to 

 Rhizopodtests, attracted my attention, but the specimens were so ill-defined and wanting 

 in character that they were of necessity laid aside. Amongst the Lanarkshire shales, for 

 which I am indebted to Mr. R. Ethericlge, jun., specimens at length appeared, chiefly 

 adherent to fragments of Polyzoa or of Molluscan Shells, sufficiently well preserved and 

 distinctive enough in their peculiarities fo be assigned with confidence to the Eorami- 

 nifera. These belonged for the most part to one species ; and from its resemblance in 

 shell-texture and habit to the adherent varieties of Trochammina known under the sub- 

 generic term Webbina — differing chiefly from the hitherto described species in the irregular, 

 heaped arrangement of its tent-like segments, it was assigned provisionally to that sub- 

 type, and it appears in the Survey Memoir on the South Lanarkshire Coal-field (Expl. 

 Sheet 23) under the name Webbina acervalis. 



Thus encouraged, the search for parasitic forms was renewed, and the examination 

 of minute Encrinites, spines, pieces of Zoophytes, and the like, eventually yielded, after 

 setting aside a multitude of doubtful organisms, a number of interesting new forms, — my 

 friends, Mr. John Young and Rev. W. Howchin, having materially assisted to this 

 result. Closer microscopical examination showed that one or two species which had 

 been previously supposed to be free-growing were essentially parasitic, and that one 

 form, at least, which might have been passed by as pertaining to the Polyzoa was in fact 

 an encrusting Polytrema-like Foraminifer. Whether future research may confirm the 

 course that has been taken in treating these various forms as modifications of one polymorphic 

 type, it is, of course, impossible to say; but they have so many characters in common, and 



