34 PERMIAN FOSSILS. 



Milne Edwards gives it as his opinion that few Bryozoons or CiHobrachiate Corals 

 existed during the early geological periods ; late researches, however, show that they 

 coexisted with the earliest Actinarians ; and they seem to have been considerably 

 more abundant than the latter during the Permian epoch. 



Family Fenestellid^e, King/ 1849. 



The establishing of this group is obviously called for, now that there are so many 

 reticulated genera of Palaeozoic Corals possessing a structure which prevents their 

 being placed in any of the families already formed. Elasmoporidce appear to 

 have the closest relationship to Fenestellida ; but Mr. Lonsdale has shown such a 

 marked difference between their respective generic types, that a separation to the 

 extent proposed seems to be strongly warranted. Considering Fenestella as the type 

 of the family, it is proposed to include in it all those reticulated genera agreeing with 

 this genus, in having the cellules planted on a basal plate composed of vertical 

 capillary tubes, as first discovered by the author just noticed. Besides Fenestella this 

 family embraces the Ftylopora and Polypora of M'Coy, also the genera Synocladia and 

 Phyllopora, shortly to be introduced. 



Genus Fenestella, Miller. 

 Ceratophytes (retipokmis), Schlotheim. 



GORGONIA (INFUNDIBULIFORMIS), GoldfuSS. 



Ketepora (flustracea), Phillips. 



Diaynosis. — " A ramose, cellular, calcareous polypidom ; cells variously distributed 

 on one side of the branches, with or without dividing ridges : branches connected by 

 transverse or oblique processes cellular or not, forming, generally, expansions or funnel- 

 shaped bodies : the latter with the cellular surface sometimes on the inner, sometimes 

 on the outer side ; cells cylindrical, obliquely arranged, overlying, mouths inclined 

 outwards, more or less distant ; interior of mature specimens, a layer of vertical 

 capillary tubuli ; reverse side of young specimens, the layer of tubuli of mature 

 specimens, a crust perforated by minute pores ; in aged specimens both cellular and 

 reverse surfaces greatly thickened, all external ribs or sculpturing obliterated, and oral 

 apertures more or less contracted; a row of foramina or chambers between the 

 parallelly^disposed cells, or a small shallow cavity over the mouth in species with cells 

 in quincunx."^ (Lonsdale.) 



Professor Phillips states, that the late Mr. Miller of Bristol, many years ago, 



1 Vide Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., 2d series, vol. iii, p. 388. 



2 Geology of Russia, vol. i. Appendix A, p. 629. 



