144 
from a quarry in the neighbourhood of Bath, very much resembles the 
one described and figured by Faujas St. Fond. Tbe stellular forms on 
this are, indeed, much smaller than those on the Maestricht fossil, and 
do not possess so much of a floscular appearance : the general figure of 
the two fossils are, however, very similar. On one side of the Bath 
fossil, a crystal of calcareous spar is adherent ; and the fracture at its 
lower end manifests a slight spathose appearance, in which, however, 
no traces of organization, similar to those in the Maestricht fossil, are 
observable. But, to return to the consideration of the general cha- 
racters of the fossil. Fig. 2, it is worthy of attention in this, as well as in 
all the preceding Maestricht fossils, that the surfaces of those parts 
which owe their form to animal organization, have none of the smooth- 
ness of surface belonging to corals, but ratber the granulated spongeous 
appearance peculiar to alcyonia. Perhaps this circumstance, cer- 
tainly of ambiguity, may, in some measure, excuse the placing of 
these unknown bodies among the alcyonia. Hesitation on this point 
may appear unnecessary, since I have already remarked, whilst ob- 
jecting to Mons. Guettard’s opinions, respecting the French alcyo- 
nites, that they possessed not the stelliform figure which was essential 
to madrepore. In these fossils, it may be said, that the stelliform 
figure exists, and that therefore no doubt should be entertained of 
these substances being madreporean. But it must be considered, 
that although no coral can be regarded as a madrepore, unless it pos- 
sess a stelliform structure ; yet it is not every body possessing such a 
structure that is to be considered as a madrepore. 
The fossil, Plate XII. Fig. 9, being a flint from Essex, with which 
I was kindly presented by Dr. Menish, illustrates this in a very satis- 
factory manner. The stelliform appearance of this fossil would, at 
first sight, induce many to place it among theam drepores ; but a care- 
ful Inspection of it, with a lens of moderate power, proves that it is 
indubitably a species of alcyonium. When thus examined, it is dis- 
covered, that this body possessed none of that hard or osseous sub- 
