﻿46 
  G. 
  R. 
  VINE 
  ON 
  THE 
  WENIOCK 
  POLYZOA. 
  

  

  doubts 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  Ooenites 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  Corals 
  or 
  the 
  Bryozoa. 
  

   In 
  every 
  instance 
  where 
  a 
  doubt 
  was 
  expressed 
  by 
  an 
  author 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  proper 
  class 
  to 
  which 
  species 
  should 
  be 
  referred, 
  I 
  have 
  made 
  

   original 
  investigation 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  satisfying 
  myself 
  ; 
  and, 
  so 
  

   far 
  as 
  these 
  experiments 
  and 
  investigations 
  will 
  justify 
  me 
  in 
  

   forming 
  an 
  opinion, 
  I 
  may 
  say 
  unhesitatingly 
  that 
  neither 
  the 
  species 
  

   of 
  HJonticidipora, 
  to 
  which 
  reference 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  authors, 
  nor 
  

   Ccenites 
  can 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  Polyzoa. 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  my 
  investigations 
  of 
  Silurian 
  Polyzoa 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  haunted 
  

   by 
  the 
  keen 
  remarks 
  of 
  Prof. 
  Owen 
  * 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  practical 
  palaeontolo- 
  

   gist 
  finds 
  himself 
  compelled 
  to 
  arrange 
  and 
  study 
  the 
  fossil 
  Bryozoa 
  

   along 
  with 
  the 
  corals, 
  if 
  only 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  difficulty 
  he 
  in 
  many 
  

   cases 
  experiences 
  of 
  determining 
  to 
  which 
  class 
  of 
  Polypi 
  his 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  belong 
  The 
  real 
  merits 
  of 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  would 
  make 
  

  

  scientific 
  capital 
  by 
  changing 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  group, 
  and 
  by 
  

   imputing 
  error 
  or 
  ignorance 
  to 
  the 
  author 
  from 
  whom 
  he 
  may 
  

   differ 
  in 
  this 
  respect, 
  are 
  easily 
  weighed 
  and 
  soon 
  understood." 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  ventured 
  to 
  differ 
  from 
  Prof. 
  Owen 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  position, 
  in 
  a 
  

   natural 
  classification, 
  the 
  Polyzoa 
  should 
  occupy 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  hope 
  I 
  have 
  

   not 
  merited 
  the 
  severe 
  judgment 
  implied 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  sentence. 
  Still 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  very 
  unsafe 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  present 
  classification 
  of 
  types, 
  

   such 
  as 
  Chilostomata 
  and 
  Cyclostomata, 
  to 
  prejudice 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  

   the 
  systematise 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  my 
  experience 
  goes, 
  such 
  arbitrary 
  

   divisions, 
  when 
  we 
  get 
  below 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  groups 
  of 
  Polyzoa, 
  

   barely 
  represent 
  the 
  truth 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Palaeozoic 
  division 
  it 
  is 
  im- 
  

   possible 
  to 
  bring 
  out 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  truth 
  when 
  we 
  attempt 
  to 
  

   carry 
  modern 
  divisions 
  beyond 
  a 
  certain 
  stage. 
  In 
  my 
  Eeport 
  on 
  

   the 
  Silurian 
  Polyzoa 
  f 
  I 
  have 
  endeavoured 
  to 
  limit 
  the 
  disposition 
  

   to 
  give 
  a 
  modern 
  expression 
  to 
  ancient 
  groups. 
  Still 
  I 
  felt 
  that 
  

   if 
  I 
  carried 
  this 
  objection 
  into 
  practice 
  I 
  should 
  only 
  displace 
  one 
  

   arbitrary 
  method 
  by 
  substituting 
  another. 
  I 
  have 
  therefore 
  in 
  

   that 
  Report 
  allowed 
  the 
  full 
  expression 
  of 
  the 
  truth 
  to 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  

   front 
  suggestively, 
  by 
  the 
  temporary 
  arrangement 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  

   given. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  pressing 
  necessity 
  for 
  an 
  intermediate 
  division 
  to 
  

   take 
  in 
  forms 
  which 
  can 
  neither 
  be 
  placed 
  as 
  Chilostomata 
  nor 
  as 
  

   Cyclostomata. 
  Before 
  this 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  with 
  any 
  degree 
  of 
  satisfaction 
  

   some 
  primary 
  basis 
  of 
  classification 
  must 
  be 
  agreed 
  upon 
  by 
  palaeon- 
  

   tologists, 
  and 
  this 
  not 
  hurriedly 
  or 
  vaguely. 
  Por 
  myself, 
  I 
  would 
  

   suggest 
  that 
  the 
  classification 
  of 
  Palaeozoic 
  Polyzoa 
  be 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  

   arrangement 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  cells 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  typical 
  sections, 
  

   and 
  not 
  wholly 
  on 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  species. 
  There 
  is 
  in 
  every 
  species 
  

   of 
  Palaeozoic 
  Polyzoa 
  with 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  familiar 
  both 
  a 
  peculiar 
  cell- 
  

   arrangement 
  and 
  a 
  peculiar 
  habit 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  these 
  expressions 
  were 
  

   formulated 
  the 
  Palaeozoic 
  types 
  could 
  be 
  very 
  readily 
  arranged 
  in 
  

   groups 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  allied 
  to 
  similar 
  groups 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Oolitic 
  

   and 
  Cretaceous 
  series. 
  No 
  outrage 
  upon 
  existing 
  groups 
  would 
  

   then 
  be 
  needed, 
  but 
  a 
  real 
  foundation 
  for 
  a 
  natural 
  classification 
  

   would 
  thus 
  be 
  effected. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  certain 
  that 
  peculiar 
  types 
  of 
  

  

  * 
  ' 
  Paleontology,' 
  ed. 
  1860, 
  p. 
  27. 
  

  

  t 
  Brit. 
  Assoc. 
  Eeport, 
  ii., 
  "Silurian 
  Polyzoa," 
  York, 
  1881. 
  

  

  