SONNINIA MAGNISPINATA. 413 



** Spines large. 



Sonninia magnispinata, 8. Buchnan. Plate XCVIII, figs. 1 — 3. 

 See Plate LXXVI, figs. 1—6, and page 341. 



Since this species was figured and described I have worked out with much 

 labour a specimen, long in my possession uncleaned. 1 When compared with magni- 

 spinata, PI. LXXVI, it is seen to differ from the large specimen, figs. 4 — 6, in 

 possessing nodiferous costas on the outer whorl instead of merely plain costge. Its 

 whorl-section is also much more gibbous-sided, and its suture-line has a narrower- 

 stemmed L. Compared with the 8. magnispinata shown in figs. 1 — 3 (PL LXXVI), 

 it appears to agree in every particular. The conclusion, therefore, is that the 

 specimen shown in PI. XCVIII, figs. 1 — 3, must be regarded as the adult of the 

 specimen depicted in PL LXXVI, figs. 1 — 3, and that it is a typical magnispinata. 

 On the other hand, the specimen illustrated in PL LXXVI, figs. 4 — 6, differs in 

 certain respects, and may be placed provisionally as a variety. It may be noted 

 as throwing doubt on this perhaps lenient view that there is much difference 

 in the suture lines. The one shown in PL LXXVI, fig. 6, has L broad-stemmed, 

 and the branching of the lobes and lobules does not by any means occupy the 

 surface to the extent shown in fig. 3 of PL XCVIII. Here the L is longer 

 and also quite narrow-stemmed : it is confessedly a better delineation than the 

 former one, due partly to more distinct preservation. The former suture-line has, 

 however, more of the characters seen in that of Sonn. irregularis, PL XCVIII, 

 fig. 6. 



1 This specimen of Sonn. magnispinata (PI. XCVIII, figs. 1 — 3) was cleaned in order to see how- 

 far the spines could be preserved by careful work. It was not altogether a good subject, but the 

 result of some very tedious labour was fairly successful ; it shows that the barbarous method of 

 cleaning these fossils with a chisel is to be entirely condemned. Lately I obtained at Bradford Abbas 

 a fairly large spinous Sonninia, presumably crassiformis, which parted from the stone, leaving the 

 tops of all its spines in the block. It was necessary, therefore, to extract each of these spines and 

 wrap them in paper. When the specimen came home more than twenty of these spines were success- 

 fully fitted and fixed with glue. The specimen promises to be very fine when finished, but the 

 clearing of the matrix has not yet been attempted. 



Of course, to induce them to undertake tedious work such as this, and the still more laborious 

 task of cutting away the matrix in small pieces — processes involving an immense outlay of time, — the 

 working collectors would need to be assured of selling their fossils at very greatly enhanced prices. In 

 this matter, however, except in a few cases, their experience has been unfortunate — the extra time 

 and labour have not proved remunerative, and it was necessary for them to adopt the shortest method 

 of work, and this proved bad for the spines. 



