﻿G. 
  R. 
  VINE 
  ON 
  THE 
  WENLOCK 
  POLYZOA. 
  51 
  

  

  After 
  my 
  descriptions 
  were 
  written, 
  I 
  was 
  surprised 
  to 
  find 
  

   in 
  the 
  cabinets 
  of 
  my 
  friends 
  such 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  really 
  good 
  unde- 
  

   scribed 
  material. 
  Recently 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  D. 
  Longe, 
  F.G.S., 
  has 
  drawn 
  

   attention 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  "Wenlock-Limestone 
  Stoma- 
  

   toporce. 
  His 
  paper 
  not 
  being 
  published, 
  I 
  cannot 
  say 
  whether 
  

   he 
  distinguishes 
  the 
  form 
  by 
  a 
  name. 
  If 
  not, 
  to 
  complete 
  this 
  

   description, 
  I 
  give 
  it 
  a 
  varietal 
  one. 
  

  

  3. 
  Stomatopora 
  dissimilis, 
  Vine, 
  var. 
  o, 
  compressa. 
  

  

  The 
  zooecia 
  of 
  this 
  variety 
  are 
  stunted 
  and 
  closely 
  compacted 
  

   together, 
  forming 
  lines 
  as 
  in 
  fig. 
  1, 
  p. 
  616, 
  Q. 
  J. 
  G. 
  S. 
  Nov. 
  1881, 
  also 
  

   dense 
  masses 
  covering, 
  by 
  their 
  prolific 
  habit 
  of 
  growth, 
  large 
  spaces 
  

   on 
  shells, 
  Brachiopods, 
  and 
  corals. 
  But 
  that 
  the 
  Rev. 
  A. 
  M. 
  Norman 
  

   has 
  already 
  used 
  the 
  name 
  compacta 
  for 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Stomatopora 
  

   from 
  Shetland, 
  this 
  would 
  . 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  far 
  preferable 
  name 
  for 
  the 
  

   variety. 
  It 
  is 
  hard 
  to 
  make 
  out 
  the 
  true 
  characters 
  of 
  Stomatopora 
  

   in 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  clusters 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  vigorous 
  colonies 
  

   the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  calcareous 
  coatings 
  or 
  true 
  cells 
  are 
  destroyed, 
  

   leaving 
  nothing 
  behind 
  but 
  the 
  dark-brown 
  matrices, 
  without 
  the 
  

   least 
  distinguishing 
  feature, 
  an 
  accident 
  which 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  

   renders 
  identification 
  difficult. 
  Measured 
  under 
  favourable 
  circum- 
  

   stances 
  (that 
  is, 
  where 
  the 
  cells 
  are 
  linear), 
  about 
  three 
  zooecia 
  

   occupy 
  one 
  line. 
  In 
  this 
  respect 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  measurement 
  nearly 
  the 
  

   same 
  as 
  variety 
  a 
  ; 
  but 
  taking 
  into 
  consideration 
  the 
  elongated 
  

   character 
  of 
  the 
  cell 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  the 
  variety 
  compressa 
  has 
  the 
  

   advantage 
  in 
  size. 
  The 
  generally 
  compressed 
  habit 
  of 
  colonial 
  

   growth 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  special 
  feature. 
  At 
  first 
  sight 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  striking 
  

   similarity 
  to 
  the 
  form 
  figured 
  and 
  described 
  in 
  King's 
  ' 
  Monograph 
  

   of 
  Permian 
  Fossils 
  ' 
  * 
  as 
  Aulopora 
  Voigtiana, 
  King. 
  

  

  Locality. 
  This 
  variety 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  detected 
  below 
  the 
  Wen- 
  

   lock 
  Limestone 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  shales 
  over 
  the 
  Limestone 
  (no. 
  46 
  

   of 
  the 
  washings) 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  found 
  one 
  poor 
  specimen 
  on 
  a 
  crinoid 
  

   stem. 
  

  

  Seeing 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  differed 
  from 
  Prof. 
  H. 
  A. 
  Nicholson 
  t 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  classificatory 
  position 
  his 
  species, 
  described 
  as 
  Hippothoa 
  inflata 
  

   (Alecto 
  inflata, 
  Hall), 
  should 
  occupy, 
  I 
  have 
  studied 
  the 
  so- 
  

   called 
  H. 
  inflata 
  again, 
  upon 
  specimens 
  sent 
  me 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Nicholson 
  

   himself. 
  I 
  cannot, 
  however, 
  see 
  any 
  thing 
  in 
  the 
  species 
  to 
  make 
  

   me 
  qualify 
  my 
  expressed 
  opinion. 
  In 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  colonies 
  we 
  

   have 
  specimens 
  similar 
  to 
  var. 
  elongata, 
  Vine 
  ; 
  others 
  are 
  more 
  

   stunted 
  and 
  inflated 
  ; 
  whilst 
  some 
  few 
  colonies 
  have 
  their 
  indi- 
  

   vidual 
  cells 
  so 
  inflated 
  as 
  to 
  force 
  the 
  orifice 
  into 
  a 
  subterminal 
  

   position, 
  and 
  the 
  stolon-like 
  elongations 
  give 
  this 
  appearance 
  a 
  

   Hippothoid 
  character 
  ; 
  but 
  beyond 
  this 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  Chilostomatous 
  

   affinity. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  (after 
  the 
  closest 
  search) 
  found 
  the 
  least 
  trace 
  

   of 
  an 
  ovicell 
  or 
  a 
  siuuated 
  orifice 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  Lower 
  Silurian 
  

   Stomatoporoe. 
  

  

  * 
  Page 
  31, 
  pi. 
  iii. 
  fig. 
  13. 
  t 
  Brit. 
  Assoc. 
  Eeport, 
  1881, 
  York. 
  

  

  E 
  X 
  

  

  