﻿172 
  MR. 
  F. 
  A. 
  BATHER 
  ON 
  MARSTTP1TES 
  TESTTTDINARITTS. 
  

  

  10. 
  Note 
  on 
  Marsupites 
  testcdinarius, 
  v. 
  Schlotheim, 
  sp.* 
  By 
  

   E. 
  A. 
  Bather, 
  Esq., 
  B.A., 
  E.G.S., 
  Brit. 
  Mus. 
  (Nat. 
  Hist.). 
  

   (Head 
  December 
  19, 
  1888.) 
  

  

  Confusion 
  has 
  long 
  reigned 
  supreme 
  in 
  the 
  nomenclature 
  of 
  the 
  

   genus 
  Marsupites. 
  The 
  splendid 
  series 
  of 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  col- 
  

   lection 
  under 
  my 
  care 
  enables 
  me 
  to 
  attempt 
  the 
  restoration 
  of 
  

   order 
  with 
  some 
  hope 
  of 
  success. 
  A 
  specimen 
  of 
  Marsupites 
  

   was 
  well 
  figured 
  in 
  ' 
  Parkinson's 
  Organic 
  Remains,' 
  ii. 
  pi. 
  xiii. 
  f 
  . 
  24, 
  

   and 
  adequately 
  described 
  on 
  pp. 
  225-229 
  of 
  that 
  work. 
  Had 
  Par- 
  

   kinson 
  only 
  named 
  his 
  numerous 
  species 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  Linnean 
  

   method 
  an 
  enormous 
  amount 
  of 
  subsequent 
  confusion, 
  in 
  this 
  and 
  

   many 
  other 
  cases, 
  would 
  never 
  have 
  occurred. 
  To 
  many 
  of 
  Par- 
  

   kinson's 
  figures 
  names 
  were 
  given 
  by 
  Yon 
  Schlotheim 
  ; 
  the 
  one 
  now 
  

   in 
  question 
  he 
  called 
  Encrinites 
  testudinarius. 
  Every 
  form 
  hitherto 
  

   discovered 
  in 
  the 
  English 
  Chalk 
  belongs 
  without 
  a 
  doubt 
  to 
  the 
  

   same 
  species 
  as 
  Parkinson's 
  specimen. 
  Between 
  absolutely 
  smooth 
  

   and 
  extremely 
  rugose 
  specimens 
  there 
  are 
  almost 
  as 
  many 
  grada- 
  

   tions 
  as 
  there 
  are 
  specimens. 
  It 
  follows 
  therefore 
  that 
  all 
  other 
  

   names 
  are 
  synonyms 
  of 
  M. 
  testudinarius. 
  This 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  

   difficulty 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  most 
  satisfactory 
  from 
  a 
  scientific 
  point 
  

   of 
  view 
  : 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  gratifying 
  to 
  know 
  that 
  the 
  specific 
  name 
  we 
  

   have 
  to 
  adopt 
  is 
  far 
  more 
  sensible 
  and 
  appropriate 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  its 
  

   successors, 
  and 
  that, 
  unlike 
  them, 
  it 
  does 
  justice 
  to 
  the 
  enthusiastic 
  

   observer 
  and 
  delightful 
  describer 
  Parkinson. 
  

   The 
  synonymy 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Marsupites, 
  Miller. 
  

  

  1808. 
  Tortoise 
  Encrinite, 
  J. 
  Parkinson, 
  ' 
  Organic 
  Remains 
  of 
  a 
  

   former 
  World,' 
  London, 
  ii. 
  225. 
  Parkinson, 
  referring 
  to 
  " 
  Mr. 
  

   Lister's 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  Radices 
  entrochoruni^ 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  He 
  there 
  gives 
  

   an 
  engraving 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  plates 
  of 
  this 
  animal, 
  which 
  he 
  describes 
  

   only 
  as 
  ' 
  a 
  pentagonous 
  plate 
  embossed 
  with 
  angles.' 
  " 
  The 
  true 
  

   reference 
  is 
  M. 
  Lister, 
  " 
  A 
  Description 
  of 
  certain 
  Stones 
  figured 
  like 
  

   Plants, 
  and 
  by 
  some 
  Observing 
  men 
  esteemed 
  to 
  be 
  Plants 
  petrified." 
  

   Phil. 
  Trans, 
  vol. 
  viii. 
  Tract 
  100, 
  pp. 
  6181-6191, 
  London, 
  Feb. 
  1674. 
  

   On 
  p. 
  6190 
  " 
  Eigures 
  of 
  Plates 
  supposed 
  to 
  incrustate 
  divers 
  roots 
  — 
  

   33. 
  An 
  hexagonous 
  plate 
  embossed 
  with 
  angles." 
  This 
  figure 
  repre- 
  

   sents 
  the 
  plate 
  of 
  a 
  Carboniferous 
  crinoid. 
  The 
  popular 
  name 
  " 
  Tor- 
  

   toise 
  Encrinite 
  " 
  seems 
  originally 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  applied 
  to 
  Crotalo- 
  

   crinus 
  rugosus. 
  Miller 
  (I. 
  c. 
  inf. 
  p. 
  135), 
  and 
  especially 
  Cumberland 
  

   (I. 
  c. 
  inf. 
  pp. 
  17 
  and 
  27), 
  discriminated 
  rightly. 
  

  

  1820. 
  Encrinites, 
  von 
  Schlotheim, 
  l 
  Petrefactenkunde,' 
  Gotha, 
  

   p. 
  339 
  ; 
  also 
  Nachtrage, 
  ii. 
  p. 
  103 
  (1823). 
  

  

  * 
  [This 
  paper 
  was 
  read 
  as 
  a 
  second 
  appendix 
  to 
  the 
  Author's 
  memoir 
  on 
  

   " 
  Trigonocrinus," 
  but 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  no 
  direct 
  relation 
  to 
  that 
  paper 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   thought 
  better 
  to 
  print 
  it 
  separately. 
  — 
  Ed. 
  Q. 
  J. 
  Gr. 
  S.] 
  

  

  