Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh, Vol. 9: 1885-88
Nautilus; next in order are the Gasteropods, chie?y Maclureas, Pleurotomarias, etc.; while the lamellibranchs and brachiopods rank last in point of number. The two latter are found with their valves attached, and the lamelli branchs are found in the position in which they lived and died. All the specimens show that every open space into which the mud could gain access and the worms could crawl are traversed by worm casts. In the case Of the orthocera tites, they seem to have lain long enough uncovered by sedi ment to allow the septa to be dissolved away from the siphuncles which they held in place. Many of those siphuncles are now found isolated; indeed, Salter founded his genus Piloceras on such large examples as those found in Endoceras. Sponges of the genus Archwocyathus and Calathium occur at intervals in the muddy matrix. One' example is preserved in chert; but the larger masses of chert in the limestone do not seem to be derived from sponges, but more probably from the siliceous skeletons Of diatoms, which, in all likelihood, were as abundant in that ancient ocean as they are now. N O undoubted remains of foraminifera have been discovered, though on several horizons there are zones of limestone made up of small rounded bodies, probably oolites; but owing to the fact that the limestones are crystal line, and that many Of them have been more or less dolomi tised, it is now almost impossible to decide definitely as to the nature of these spherules. For these reasons it is hope less to find minute organisms in this formation. The shell substance of the larger fossils has in almost every case been dissolved out, and the spaces have been filled with calcspar, and in some cases with Beekite, so that all the finer markings on their surfaces are obliterated.
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