James on Monticulifora. 387 
writer, the various genera proposed from time to time for differ- 
ent species, were all arranged under one family, the Monticuli- 
poridce^ Nicholson. This family includes two genera, with three 
sub-genera. These are ( 1 ) AlonticuUpora^ with the three sub- 
genera Dekayia^ Constellaria and I^istzdipora, and ( 2 ) Ceratno- 
fora. In the paper in question all these forms were regarded 
as coi'als. They have been, except Ceratnopora^ generally re- 
garded as corals, but they have been placed by some writers, 
principal among whom is Mr. E. O. Ulrich, in the class Polyzoa, 
or as he calls it, Bryozoa.' Dr. H. A. Nicholson and most other 
workers on the other hand, retain the Monticuliporidce in the 
corals. The question of the position of the family being thus 
a disputed one, it will be the endeavor in the present paper to 
settle the matter, and in order to do this it will be necessary to 
examine the features of the two classes and see upon what 
grounds the reference of the Motitictiliforidce to the Polyzoa is 
advocated. 
The great sub-kingdom, Ccelenterata, inclndes many di- 
versified forms both fossil and recent, the various genera rang- 
ing in time from the Palseozoic to the present. There have been 
generally recognized two classes, although some members of 
these have at times changed places. As at present understood 
these two classes are Hydrozoa and Anthozoa. The greater 
part of the first of these are medusae, marine animals difficult 
of preservation and therefore of study; while the fresh water 
Hydra is an example of another part. So few of these have 
ever been preserved in a fossil state that so far as paljeontology 
is concerned they may be regai'ded as almost non-existent. One 
fossil group, that of graptolites, has been referred here, but Dr. 
Lankester does not regard these forms as at all closely allied to 
the Hydrozoa proper. We are^ however, not here concerned 
with this question. 
The Anthozoa include the larger number of these forms 
known as true corals, and we shall have with this at present 
1 The former of these two terms, viz.: /-"(j/j'^oa, has four years prece- 
dence over the latter. J. V. Thompson applied the term Polyzoa in 1830 
(" Geol. Researches and Memoirs, V"), while Ehrenberg used Bryozoa for 
the same forms in 1834, (" Abhand, der k. Akad. der Natur. zu Berlin.") 
See Encyclopedia Britannica, 9th edition under Polyzoa. 
