248 C D. LASERON. 



The aperture, however, is the most interesting feature 

 in connection with the specimen. Here the four walls are 

 bent regularly over, and diverge downwards for at least 

 half an inch into the centre of the shell. How far they 

 continue is uncertain, the central cavity being partially 

 filled with matrix. The ornamentation is also continuous 

 upon the infolded portion of the walls, the ridges, however, 

 sloping in an opposite direction, or towards the apex. 



Locality and Horizon : — This specimen was forwarded 

 from the Maitland District, and, from its resemblance to 

 other specimens, probably comes from the Lower Marine 

 Series in the vicinity of Cessnock. It is now placed in the 

 collection of the Technological Museum, Sydney. 



Observations : — Concerning the identification of the 

 various species of Conularia some difficulty arises. The 

 tests of our several Permo-Carboniferous species are on the 

 whole very similar to each other, depending for their 

 separation chiefly on such characters as the apical angle, 

 relative proportions of the four walls, variation in the 

 ornamentation etc. The following are the species occur- 

 ring in the Permo-Carboniferous formation of Eastern 

 Australia : — Conulara inornata, Dana, C. laevigata^ Morris, 

 0. qucidrlsulcata, Miller, C. tasmanica, Johnston, C. tenui- 

 striata, McCoy, and C. torta, McCoy. 



Of these, our specimen most nearly approaches C. laevi- 

 gata, particularly in the low apical angle, and the nature 

 of the ornamentation, but it differs chiefly in the relative 

 proportions of the four walls. In C. Icevlgata the section 

 is oblong, one pair of sides being larger than the other, 

 whereas in this case the four sides are practically equal. 



The aperture also differs from that of all known specimens. 

 In the few species of which this character is figured, the 

 four walls are prolonged upwards, and, diverging towards 

 the centre, partially close the orifice. 



