Page:Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, vol. 27.djvu/74

 Allopora oculina, Ehren. — Original locality unknown.

Caryophyllia cyathus, Ellis & Sol. sp. — British Seas, Mediterranean.

Sicilian, Older Pliocene.

Lophohelia prolifera, Pallas. — British Seas, Mediterranean, Florida Seas.

Flabellum laciniatum, Ed. & H. — British Seas.

Ceratocyathus ornatus, Seg. — Fossil.

Amphihelia miocenica, Seg. — Fossil.

– atlantica, Dunc. New.

– oculata, Linn. sp. — Mediterranean.

– ornata, Dunc. New.

– profunda, Pourt. New. — West-Indian Seas, Mediterranean and Norwegian Seas.

Balanophyllia socialis, Pourt. New.

Pliobothrus symmetricus, Pourt. New. Florida Seas.

Thus out of 12 species there are as many as 5 which were before known as fossil only; or if we take the annulled species, there were 8, all of which had hitherto been confined to the newer Tertiary beds of Sicily or southern Italy. Unlike the Testacea, which show a relationship to northern forms and to those of our Crag, there is not a single species that Prof. Duncan has been able to refer to the Crag, whilst the connexion with the Mediterranean area and with the seas of Florida and the "West Indies is most noticeable. Prof. Duncan regards one or two of the new species as allied to Miocene forms ; but he does not instance a single case of an approach to Cretaceous forms, except possibly in the case of Lophohelia (to the Synhelia of the Chalk) and Diplohelia, which is really an Amphihelia.

Among the Corals, however, now under examination from the second expedition of the ' Porcupine ' the Sphenotrochus of the Crag is found (locality Tangier Bay), and some Caryophyllioe and Bathycyathi of Cretaceous types are to be noticed.

Thus while the Foraminifera obtained in these deep-sea explorations show a strong community of genera and a partial identity of species with chalk Foraminifera, the Sponges markedly representative forms, the Echinoderms allied genera, and the Brachiopoda a similarity of groups, on the other hand, as we ascend in the scale, so far from any resemblance being maintained, we find actual identities with the Upper Miocene*, Pliocene, and Quaternary fauna of western Europe. This seems to point to a possible direct descent in the one case of all those lower forms of life, less influenced by temperature and depth, from the epoch of our chalk, and in the other case to a change of physical conditions, resulting from the


 * There is nothing which has the facies of the Eocene Molluscan fauna.