bacule

[BASCULE.] bắc-u-lite ( Eng .), s. & a.; bắc-u-li-tēs (Mod. Lat .), s. [In Ger. baculit . From Lat. baculum or baculus -a stick, and -ite = Gr. λίθος ( lithos ) = a stone.] A. As substantive. (Chiefly of the form Baculites.) Palæont .: A genus of chambered shells belonging to the family Ammonitidæ. From the typical genus, Ammonites, it is at once distinguished by the form of the shell, which is long and straight. The aperture is guarded by a dorsal proce . In 1875, seventeen species were known, all fo il. They extend from the Neocomian to the Chalk, and occur in Britain, France, and India. There is a sub-genus called Baculina , with two known species from the French Neocomian rocks. ( Tate .) B. As adjective. (Of the form Baculite.) Geol. Containing numerous specimens of Baculites. Baculite limestone: A name applied to the chalk of Normandy on account of the abundance of baculites which it contains. ( Wood ward: Manual of the Mollusca , 1851, p. 97.)