﻿K. 
  P. 
  TOMES 
  Otf 
  LOWER-OOLITE 
  MADREPORAEIA. 
  411 
  

  

  many 
  Thamnastrcece 
  the 
  costse 
  are 
  placed 
  parallel 
  to 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  

   cannot 
  properly 
  be 
  called 
  rays. 
  In 
  other 
  instances, 
  again, 
  they 
  

   anastomose, 
  or 
  are 
  very 
  flexuous, 
  and 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  come 
  

   within 
  the 
  detinition 
  of 
  rays. 
  

  

  Stratigraphical 
  Distribution 
  of 
  the 
  Species. 
  

  

  As 
  long 
  ago 
  as 
  1866 
  Dr. 
  Wright 
  made 
  known, 
  in 
  the 
  l 
  Proceedings 
  

   of 
  the 
  Cotteswold 
  Naturalists' 
  Field 
  Club,' 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  three 
  well- 
  

   defined 
  coralliferous 
  deposits 
  in 
  the 
  Inferior 
  Oolite 
  of 
  Gloucestershire, 
  

   and 
  gave 
  their 
  exact 
  stratigraphical 
  position, 
  the 
  localities 
  where 
  

   they 
  could 
  be 
  observed, 
  and 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  material 
  then 
  at 
  com- 
  

   mand 
  would 
  permit, 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Madreporaria 
  they 
  contained. 
  

  

  Frequent 
  search 
  in 
  these 
  beds 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  years 
  has 
  

   enabled 
  me 
  to 
  greatly 
  extend 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  species, 
  and 
  to 
  refer 
  them 
  

   to 
  the 
  respective 
  beds 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  belong, 
  with 
  greater 
  accuracy 
  

   than 
  could 
  before 
  be 
  done. 
  

  

  I 
  give 
  the 
  stratigraphical 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  arranged 
  in 
  

   a 
  tabular 
  form 
  (p. 
  413), 
  taking 
  Dr. 
  Wright's 
  three 
  coral-reefs 
  as 
  

   my 
  basis, 
  but 
  first 
  adding 
  some 
  observations 
  thereon. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  corals 
  are 
  seen 
  scattered 
  about 
  in 
  the 
  Pisolite 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   compact 
  yellow 
  stone 
  beneath, 
  lying 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  Cephalopoda- 
  

   bed, 
  which 
  latter 
  is 
  regarded 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Wright 
  as 
  the 
  upper 
  bed 
  of 
  

   the 
  Upper 
  Lias. 
  One 
  species, 
  Montlivaltia 
  lens, 
  occurs 
  in 
  both 
  the 
  

   compact 
  yellow 
  stone 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  underlying 
  Cephalopoda-bed, 
  and 
  

   it 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  coral 
  I 
  have 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  deposit. 
  These 
  

   are 
  the 
  lowest 
  representatives 
  of 
  coral 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  Jurassic 
  seas 
  of 
  

   England, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  Liassic 
  species*. 
  

  

  The 
  Lower 
  Reef 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Wright 
  lies 
  directly 
  upon 
  the 
  Pisolite, 
  and 
  

   it 
  has 
  all 
  the 
  appearance 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  a 
  true 
  reef. 
  It 
  consists 
  of 
  

   a 
  fine-grained 
  cream-coloured 
  stone 
  which 
  is 
  sometimes 
  soft 
  enough 
  

   to 
  be 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  fossils 
  with 
  a 
  hard 
  brush. 
  

  

  Specimens 
  of 
  corals 
  so 
  cleaned 
  have 
  often 
  all 
  the 
  sharpness 
  and 
  

   delicacy 
  of 
  their 
  parts 
  preserved, 
  and 
  are 
  almost 
  as 
  easy 
  to 
  study 
  

   as 
  recent 
  specimens. 
  But 
  more 
  frequently 
  the 
  bedding 
  is 
  so 
  hard 
  

   that 
  it 
  cannot 
  be 
  removed 
  even 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  the 
  graver. 
  It 
  is 
  

   in 
  this 
  reef 
  that 
  the 
  corals 
  are 
  most 
  abundant 
  ; 
  indeed 
  in 
  some 
  places, 
  

   as 
  at 
  Crickley 
  Hill, 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  constitute 
  the 
  chief 
  part 
  

   of 
  its 
  bulk. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  every 
  appearance 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  coral-bed 
  of 
  the 
  corals 
  

   having 
  lived 
  and 
  died 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  now 
  found 
  ; 
  for 
  many 
  old 
  

   and 
  dead 
  examples 
  are 
  there 
  seen, 
  to 
  which 
  other 
  corals 
  and 
  Ser- 
  

   pulse 
  of 
  delicate 
  structure 
  have 
  attached 
  themselves, 
  and 
  have 
  re- 
  

   tained 
  their 
  beauty 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  Middle 
  Reef 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  oolite 
  marl, 
  a 
  fine-grained 
  chalky 
  

   deposit. 
  In 
  corals 
  it 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  so 
  rich 
  as 
  the 
  lower 
  one, 
  

   either 
  as 
  regards 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  or 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  

  

  * 
  By 
  the 
  Liassic 
  species 
  I 
  mean 
  those 
  which 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  Lias 
  proper, 
  and 
  

   not 
  those 
  which 
  have 
  an 
  equivocal 
  place 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  formation, 
  and 
  

   are 
  probably 
  Triassic. 
  I 
  allude 
  more 
  particularly 
  to 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  Sutton 
  

   Stone 
  of 
  Glamorganshire, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  always 
  regarded 
  as 
  Rhtetic 
  species. 
  

  

  2f2 
  

  

  