ESTHERIA MINUTA. 45 



(2) In the uppermost beds of the Muschelkalk, with IAngula tenuissima, near 

 Weyhers. 



(3) In the Bunter (" Rothe "), just under the lowest bed of the Muschelkalk, on the 

 Eube, near Gersfeld. 



6. From near Halle, on the Saale (Thuringia). 



Greenish- grey, micaceous shale. The Estheria, large and small, 1 occur on the bed-planes ; 

 these have preserved their shape, but retain only a dull, thin, pulverulent film of the cara- 

 pace. Labelled " Uppermost Buntsanclstein." EromProf. Eridolin Sandberger, of Carlsruhe. 



Prof. Er. Sandberger informs me, through Dr. H. G. Bronn (who kindly communicated 

 to me the specimens from Prof. Sandberger and Mr. von Alberti), that he has met with 

 this Esther ia at Durlach, near Carlsruhe (Baden), in the Muschelkalk just above the Wellen- 

 kalk ; also in the Lettenkohle of Nimburg, near Bottingen, in the Breisgau. 



Estheria minuta in Baden, Wurtemberg, and Bavaria. — This little fossil has been 

 known to geologists for about thirty years as characteristic of the Upper Trias of Germany, 

 attention having been drawn to it by E. von Alberti ; and Voltz seems to have recognised 

 it as an important fossil of the Keuper about the same time. It was referred to the 

 molluscan genus Posidonia (subsequently Posidonomya, Bronn). Alberti and Goldfuss 

 seem to have coincided in terming it P. minuta, for the former refers to the latter (in 

 1832, 2 and again in 1834, 3 when he described the species) as the authority for this name, 

 although he used it before Goldfuss had published his description and figure. Von 

 Dechen (1832) and Zieten 1833) refer to Alberti as the giver of the name, and in this 

 I propose to follow them. 



1832. In H. von Dechen's German edition of De laBeche's ' Handbook of Geology,' 

 (H. T. de la Beche's ' Handbuch der Geologie, bearbeitet von H. von Dechen,' Berlin, 

 1832), p. 453, we find the earliest published specific name for this little fossil. Thus : — 

 " Posidonia Keuperiana, Voltz {P. Goldfussii, Von Alberti?), Swabian Hall, 4 Lower Beds. 

 minuta, Von Alberti, Rottweil." 5 



1833. In C. H. von Zieten's 'Die Versteinerungen Wurttemberg's, 1830-33, 

 we have, at page 72 — 



"Posidonia minuta, Alberti, De la Beche, bearbeitet von Dechen, Berlin, 1832, p. 

 453. Erom the copper-marl of Rottweil." This is figured in Zieten's pi. 54 

 fig. 5. 



1834. In 1834, E. von Alberti, in his 'Beitrag zu einer Monographic des Bunten 

 Sandsteins, Muschelkalks und Keupers, und die Verbindung dieser Gebilde zu einer 



1 Varying in length from -ft to -Jg- inch. 



2 'Jahrb. f. Min.,' 1832, p. 227. 



3 'Monographie,' p. 114. 



4 In Wurtemberg, on the Kocher, thirty-five miles north-east of Stuttgart. The name here attri- 

 buted to Voltz does not appear to have been given in connection with any description. 



5 In Wiirtemberg, about fifty miles south of Stuttgart. 



