203 
and unequal sui’face ; being beset with knobs, which are the comnience- 
nient of so many radicles. 
The vertebrte terminate in the body above alluded to as the inferior 
termination of this encrinite. It has been accidentally broken, but 
in the most desirable manner ; since the fracture having been made 
longitudinally through its middle, its central structure is fully dis- 
played. We thus also perceive eight very thin and very finely crenated 
vertebrae, over which a thin coat appears to be extended, which 
is likewise extended over various tubular radicles, which ramify and 
diverge in every direction around the vertebral trunk. In one part, 
one of these radicles is seen so fractured as to shew its crenulated 
articulations, the crenulae, however, being so exceedingly shallow 
that they could have yielded little or no capacity for motion. In the 
other part of this radicle, the substance is considerably contorted ; 
several projections, with a foramen in the centre of each, are seen on 
its surface, and the articulations are so obliterated as plainly to shew 
that no motion could here have taken place. 
The nature and uses of the parts just described are clearly ascer- 
tained by the extraordinary and unique specimen Plate XV. Fig. 5, 
which, from the purity and whiteness of the calcareous matter of the 
organic part, and from the colour and other sensible qualities of the 
matrix in which it has been imbedded, thei’e is no doubt was also 
obtained from Wenlock Edge. 
Extreme thinness of the vertebrae, it has been already observed, 
appears to be one of the characteristics of this species of encrinite ; 
and, in this specimen, this character is very observable ; since although 
the trunk, from which the roots proceed, is only about an inch in 
length, upwards of thirty vertebrae enter into its formation. These 
vertebrae exactly resemble those of the column, in the mass already 
noticed, in their articulations being so little crenulated, that they 
have been evidently capable of little or no motion : and, in their 
being, in the same manner, beset with numerous projections ; each 
