﻿220 
  H. 
  H. 
  GODWIN-AUSTEN 
  ON 
  A 
  FOSSIL 
  

  

  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  same, 
  judging 
  from 
  the 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  

   specimens. 
  Although 
  apparently 
  so 
  rare 
  a 
  shell 
  in 
  India, 
  I 
  believe 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  yet 
  found 
  more 
  widely 
  distributed, 
  and 
  that 
  other 
  forms 
  

   will 
  be 
  found 
  when 
  the 
  enormous 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  deltas 
  of 
  the 
  Ganges, 
  

   Brahmaputra, 
  and 
  Indus 
  is 
  more 
  closely 
  searched. 
  These 
  shells 
  are 
  

   very 
  minute, 
  and 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  obtained 
  at 
  a 
  certain 
  low 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  

   rivers 
  and 
  marshes. 
  

  

  Description 
  of 
  fossil 
  Species. 
  

  

  Camptoceras 
  priscum, 
  n. 
  sp. 
  Plate 
  Y. 
  figs. 
  1-5. 
  

  

  Locality. 
  Higher 
  level 
  of 
  cliffs, 
  about 
  halfway 
  between 
  East-End 
  

   Lane 
  and 
  Hensbrook, 
  Island 
  of 
  Sheppey, 
  Kent. 
  

  

  Shell 
  sinistral, 
  very 
  elongate 
  ; 
  a 
  slight 
  indication 
  of 
  spiral 
  rib- 
  

   bing 
  in 
  the 
  casts 
  ; 
  spire 
  elongate 
  ; 
  apex 
  very 
  acuminate 
  and 
  slightly 
  

   curved 
  ; 
  suture 
  wide 
  and 
  deep 
  ; 
  whorls 
  4, 
  disunited, 
  rather 
  rapidly 
  

   increasing 
  ,and 
  constricted 
  at 
  intervals, 
  then 
  becoming 
  tumid 
  ; 
  aper- 
  

   ture 
  not 
  well 
  made 
  out, 
  evidently 
  oblique, 
  circular 
  or 
  oblate, 
  and 
  

   reflected 
  slightly 
  at 
  the 
  peristome. 
  

  

  Var. 
  obtusttm. 
  Plate 
  Y. 
  figs. 
  6, 
  7. 
  

  

  Similar 
  to 
  above, 
  but 
  the 
  apex 
  much 
  shorter 
  and 
  blunter, 
  and 
  the 
  

   whorls 
  more 
  compressed 
  together. 
  

  

  millim. 
  millim. 
  

  

  Size. 
  Major 
  diameter 
  1*5 
  alt. 
  axis 
  6'5 
  

  

  „ 
  recent 
  species 
  : 
  terebra 
  3'0 
  „ 
  vix 
  9*0 
  

  

  „ 
  „ 
  var. 
  Austeni 
  1*0 
  „ 
  „ 
  3*75 
  

  

  ,, 
  ,, 
  lineatum 
  2*3 
  „ 
  „ 
  4*5 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  are 
  beautifully 
  preserved, 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  mere 
  

   casts 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  unfortunate 
  that 
  the 
  aperture 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  incomplete 
  

   in 
  every 
  shell, 
  although 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  pieces 
  of 
  stone 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  there 
  

   are 
  over 
  a 
  hundred 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  I 
  cannot 
  do 
  better, 
  to 
  describe 
  how 
  and 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  found, 
  than 
  

   give 
  an 
  extract 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Shrubsole's 
  letter 
  to 
  me, 
  dated 
  7th 
  January, 
  

   1881 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  shells 
  did 
  not 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  well, 
  but 
  from 
  the 
  

   higher 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs. 
  I 
  was 
  showing 
  a 
  field-class 
  how 
  to 
  look 
  

   for 
  fossils 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  ; 
  and 
  whilst 
  we 
  were 
  standing 
  in 
  a 
  group 
  I 
  

   was 
  asked 
  a 
  question 
  respecting 
  the 
  septarian 
  nodules 
  scattered 
  

   about. 
  After 
  telling 
  all 
  I 
  could 
  about 
  them, 
  I 
  stooped 
  down 
  and 
  

   examined 
  the 
  broken 
  one 
  at 
  my 
  feet. 
  Seeing 
  a 
  thin 
  calcareous 
  line 
  

   near 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  nodule, 
  with 
  a 
  blow 
  of 
  the 
  hammer 
  I 
  ex- 
  

   posed 
  the 
  shells 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  identify 
  them 
  : 
  I 
  brought 
  them 
  

  

  home. 
  I 
  gave 
  away 
  to 
  those 
  with 
  me 
  all 
  I 
  found 
  beside." 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  cannot 
  tell 
  from 
  what 
  horizon 
  in 
  the 
  London 
  clay 
  the 
  nodule 
  

   came, 
  except 
  that 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  within 
  the 
  uppermost 
  150 
  ft." 
  

  

  No 
  discovery 
  could 
  possibly 
  show 
  better 
  what 
  a 
  broken 
  chain 
  geolo- 
  

   gical 
  evidence 
  affords 
  us 
  of 
  the 
  extension 
  and 
  distribution 
  of 
  genera. 
  

   Here 
  one 
  fortuitous 
  blow 
  of 
  the 
  hammer 
  disclosed 
  some 
  dozens 
  of 
  

   a 
  genus 
  never 
  before 
  found, 
  or 
  rather 
  recorded, 
  as 
  fossil 
  in 
  Europe, 
  

  

  