List of the Fossil Dipnoi and G-Anoidei of Fife and the Lothians. by R. H. Traquair, M.D., P.R.S

1889—90.] Dr Traquair on Fossil Dipnoi and Gcenoidei. 385

List of the Fossil Dipnoi and G-anoidei of Fife and the Lothians. By R. H. Traquair, M.D., P.R.S. (Bead July 21, 1890.) No district of Great Britain is so rich in genera and species of Carboniferous Dipnoi and Ganoidei as that of Fife and the Lothians, and in the frequency of entire specimens of these fishes it is only approached by North Staffordshire. Another feature of the greatest geological interest is the abund- ance of fish remains in estuarine strata below the horizon of the Millstone grit, whereby a means of comparing the Ganoid fish faunas of the Upper and Lower divisions of the Carboniferous formation is afforded. Lower Carboniferous Ganoids and Dipnoans occur, it is true, in the western part of the great central Scottish carboniferous area, and a very remarkable assemblage of fishes of that period was discovered not many years ago in the district of Eskdale and Liddesdale in the south. But in England and Ireland and in other parts of the world generally, the Lower Carboniferous fish remains known to us are mainly those of marine Selachii, so that an especial interest attaches to the Carboniferous fish-fauna of Scotland, and particularly to that of the district with which the present list has to deal. A list of the fossil fishes of the Edinburgh district, compiled by the late Mr Salter, is given in the Memoir of the Geological Survey, explanatory of Sheet 32 (Scotland), and published in 1861. Since the appearance of this Memoir, now nearly thirty years ago, no collective list of the fossil fishes of this part of the country has been drawn up, though the amount of material amassed by the labours of many collectors has enormously increased during those years. Among those who have contributed, by their work in the field, to an augmentation of the material for a new and expanded list of the fossil fishes of this district, I may mention, besides Messrs Bennie and Macconochie, collectors to the Geological Survey of Scotland, Mr W. Tait Kinnear, Mr W. Anderson, now of the Geo- logical Survey of New South Wales, Mr T. Stock, Mr James Kirkby, and the late Mr Robert "Walker of St Andrews; while I myself, during the past sixteen years, have been able to procure both for VOL. XVII. -'-Vy^t 2 B Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Arizona, on 26 Apr 2017 at 18:47:42, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0370164600007057 386 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [BESS.

the Museum of Science and Art and for my own collection, a very- considerable number of specimens from the localities round Edin- burgh. One result of this large increase of material is that a number of undoubtedly new species have to be chronicled. Another result is, that the increase of knowledge which this increase of material has brought with it, induces me to withdraw several species which I myself had previously named, but which I now must place among the synonyms. Where species have been otherwise rectified, I have not considered it necessary, in a list like this, to occupy space by giving the entire synonymy. As I hope to take up the cataloguing of the Selachii next session, the present list is restricted to the Dipnoi and Ganoidei, including the problematical Acanthodei, which ought perhaps, as in the opinion of many, to be rather considered as Elasmobranchs. The list itself cannot be supposed to be complete, but it will, it is to be hoped, be of a certain utility for a time.

HORIZONS. The Upper Old Red Sandstone (TT.O.K.) cannot I think be associated with the Carboniferous rocks on account of its fish remains, which have a greater general resemblance to those of the Lower Old Red of the North of Scotland, in spite of the well-known uncon- formity which exists between the two sets of strata. In the Car- boniferous system two great divisions^Upper and Lower—may be adopted, and these again subdivided according to the plan in use by the Director-general and Officers of the Geological Survey. In this arrangement the Lower Carboniferous falls into two subdivisions, the Calciferous Sandstone Series (C.S.) extending up to the first Gilmerton Limestone, and the Carboniferous Limestone Series (C.L.) extending from the last-mentioned horizon to the Millstone Grit, or Rosslyn Sandstone. And in their turn the Upper Car- boniferous rocks fall likewise into two subdivisions—the Millstone Grit below, and the Coal Measures (CM.) above. I have given no contraction for the Millstone Grit, as I have seen no fish remains from this set of rocks in the East of Scotland. It is certainly worthy of note that in this list not one species is common to the Upper and Lower Divisions of the Carboniferous

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formation. So far as fish-life at least is concerned, there certainly occurred an important palaaontological break at the base of the Millstone Grit. And my friend Mr Kidston tells me that the same is true with regard to the plants.

LIST. OEDEK DIPNOI. Family Ctenodontidm. 1. Phaneropleuron Ander- •.O.E. Dura Den. soni, Huxley. 2. Ctenodus interruptus, C.S. Pittenweem, Fife; West Barkas. Calder. C.L. Gilmerton, Loanhead; Kinghorn. 3. Ctenodus cristatus, Ag. CM. Dalkeith. 4. Ctenodus angustulus, Traq. C.L. Loanhead. 5. Sagenodus quinquecostatus, C.L. Gilmerton, Loanhead. Traq. Syn. Ctenodus obliquus, var. quinquecostatus,Traq. Hemictenodus quinquecostatus, Traq.

Family Uronemidoe. 6. Uronemus lobatus, Ag. C.S. Burdiehonse. Syn. Phaneropleuron elegans, Traq. 7. Uronemus splendens, Traq. C.L. Loanhead ; Dry den. Syn. Ganopristodus splendens, Traq.

ORDER GANOIDEI. ? Suborder ACANTHODEI. Family Acanthodidce. 8. Acanthodes sulcatus, Ag. C.S. Wardie; Burdiehouse; Oakbank;W. Calder; Straiton; S. Queens- ferry ; Pitcorthy, Fife; Ardross, &c. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Arizona, on 26 Apr 2017 at 18:47:42, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0370164600007057 388 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh, [SESS.

9. Acantb-odes "Wardi, Egert. CM. Edmonstone. „ sp. indet. C.L. Gilmerton, Loanhead. 10. Acanthodopsis Wardi, CM. Smeaton, near Dalkeith. Hancock & Atthey.

Suborder PLACODERMI. Family Pterichthyidce. 11. Bothriolepis hydrophilus TJ.O.R. Dura Den; Drumdryan.

Syn. Pterichthys hydrophilus, Ag.; Egert. Pamphractus hydrophilus, Ag. Pamphractus Ander- soni, Ag. Homothorax Fle- mingii, Ag.

Suborder CROSSOPTBETGII. Family Holoptychiidae. 12. Holoptychius Flemingii, U.O.E. Dura Den. Ag. Syn. Holoptychius Ander- soni, Ag. Platygnathus Jame- soni, Ag. 13. Holoptychius nobilissimus, U.O.R. Dairsie; Drumdryan, Ag. Fife. Syn. Holoptychius Mur- chisoni, Ag. Oyrolepis giganteus, Ag- Family Rhizodontidas. 14. Bhizodus Hibberti {Ag.) CS. Wardie; Burdiehouse ; S. Syn. Megalichthys Hib- Queensferry; St An- berti, Ag., pars. drews; Straiton; Pit- Phyllolepis tenuissi- corthy. rnus, Ag.

Syn. Holoptychius Hib- C.L. Gilmerton; Loanhead; berti, Ag., pars. The Moat; Penstone ; Rhizodus gracilis, Bo'ness: Lochgelly; M'Coy. Denhead. 15. Rhizodus ornatus, Traq. C.S. Burdiehouse; Straiton; Syn. Megalichthys Hib- Pittenweem; Pitcorthy. berti, Ag., pars. C.L. Gilmerton; Denhead. Holoptychius Hib- berti, Ag., pars. Rhizodus Hibberti, Traq., pars. 16. Archichthys sulcidens, CM. Smeaton. Hancock and Atthey. 17. Archichthys Portlocki(j4<7.) C.S. Pittenweem; Abden. Syn. Holoptychius Port- locki, Ag. 18. Strepsodus sauroides, CM. Edmonstone; Pirnie Col- (Binney). liery, Leven. Syn. Holoptychius sauroides, Binney. 19. Strepsodus striatulus, Traq. C.L. Loanhead; Abden. 20. Strepsodus minor, Traq. C.S. Pitcorthy. 21. Rhizodopsis sauroides, CM. Smeaton : Edmonstone. (Williamson). Syn. Holoptychius sauroides, Williamson. Rhizodus granulatus, Salter. 22. Rhizodopsis, sp. indet. C.L. Loanhead.

Family Saurodipteridce. 23. Glyptopomus minor, Ag. TJ.O.R. Dura Den. 24. Glyptolsemus Kinnairdi, U.O.E. Dura Den. Huxley. Syn. Diplopterus Dalgleish- iensis, Anderson. 25. Megalichthys laticeps, C.S. Burdiehouse; Burnt- Traq. island. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Arizona, on 26 Apr 2017 at 18:47:42, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0370164600007057 390 Proceedings of Eoyal Society of Edinburgh. [SESS.

26. Megalichthys Isevis, Traq. C.S. Straiton. 27. „ Hibberti,.4<7. CM. Smeaton; Shawfair. ,, sp. indet. C.L. Gilmerton, Denhead. Family Ccelacanthidce. 28. Coelacanthus lepturus, Ag. CM. Smeaton. sp. C.L, Abden.

Suborder ACIPENSEBOIDEI. Family Palceoniscidw. 29. Eloniehthys nemopterus, C.S. Wardie; Burdiehouse; S. Queensferry; Straiton; Syn. Arnblypterus nemo- Pumpherston; W. Cal- pterus, Ag. der; Broxburn; Jumper Amblypterus punctatus, Green; Burntisland; Ag. pars. Pitcorthy. Palmoniscus Rolnsoni, C.L. Gilmerton; Loanhead; Hibbert. Wallyford; Denhead. Palmoniscus striolatus,

Eloniehthys intermedius, Traq. Eloniehthys ovatus, Traq. „ Dunsii, Traq. Eloniehthys tenuiser- ratus, Traq. 30. Bucklandi (Ag.) C.S. Burdiehouse; Wardie; Syn. Pygopterus BucTc- Straiton; S. Queens- landi, Ag. ferry; Burntisland. C.L. Loanhead. 31. pectinatus, Traq. C.S. W. Calder; Oakbank; Straiton. C.L. Loanhead; Gilmerton; Kingseat; Abden; Denhead. 32. multistriatus, Traq. C.L. Gilmerton; Loanhead. 33. striatus (Ag.) C.S. Wardie; Burdiehouse; Juniper Green; Strait- on; Pitcorthy. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Arizona, on 26 Apr 2017 at 18:47:42, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0370164600007057 1889-90.] Dr Traquair on Fossil Dipnoi and Ganoidei. 391

Syn. Amblypterus striatus, Ag. Cosmoptychius striatus, Traq. 34. Rhadinichthys ornatissi- C.S. Burdiehouse; Wardie; mus (Ag.) Straiton; S. Queens- Syn. Paloeoniscus orna- ferry; Burntisland. tissimus, Ag. Rhadinichthys lepturus, Traq. 35. Rhadinichthys carinatus C.S. Wardie, Pumpherston, (Ag.), Pitcorthy, Colinton; Syn. Palceoniscus carina- . Redhall; Corn Ceres, tus, Ag., near Kilrenny. Rhadinichthys GeiJciei, Traq. 36. Rhadinichthys brevis,TVag. C.S. Wardie. 37. Rhadinichthys tenuicauda, C.L. Wallyford. Traq. 38. Rhadinichthysferox, Traq. C.S. Wardie. 39. „ maerocepha- C.S. Pumpherston. lus, Traq. 40. Nematoptychius Green- C.S. Wardie; Burdiehouse; ockii, Ag. Burntisland; Straiton; Syn. Pygopterus Green- Oakbank; W. Calder; ockii, Ag., Juniper Green. Pygopterus elegans, C.L. Gilmerton; Loanhead. C. W. Peach. Nematoptychius gracilis, Traq. 41. Acrolepis semigranulosus C.S. Straiton. Traq. 42. Gonatodus punctatus, Ag., C.S. Wardie; Straiton; Bur- Syn. Amblypterus punc- diehouse; Pitcorthy. tatus, Ag. pars. „ Amblypterus ancono- (Bchmodus Walker. 43. Gonatodus macrolepis, Traq. C.L. Gilmerton. Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Arizona, on 26 Apr 2017 at 18:47:42, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0370164600007057 392 Proceedings of Boyal Society of Edinburgh. [SESS.

44. Gonatodus parvidens, Traq. C.L. Loanhead; Lochgelly. 45. Drydenius insignia, Traq. C.L. Loanhead. 46. Cryphiolepis striatus, Traq. C.L. Loanhead. Syn. Ccelacanfhus striatus, Traq.

Family Platysomidw. 47. Eurynotus crenatus, Ag. C.S. Wardie; Burdiehouse; Syn. Eurynotus fimbri- Juniper Green; Craig- atus, Ag. leith; S. Queensferry; Pumpherston; Burnt- island ; Pittenweem; Pitcorthy; Kenly- mouth; Corn Ceres, near Kilrenny. C.L. Gilmerton; Loanhead; Abden; Denhead. 48. Eurynotus microlepidotus, C.L. Loanhead. Traq. 49. Platysomus parvulus, Ag. CM. Edmonstone; Smeaton. 50. Cheirodus crassus, Traq. C.L. Abden.

NOTES ON SOME OF THE SpEcres IN THE PRECEDING LIST.

Acanthodes sulcatus, Ag.—The type specimen from "Wardie, in the Oxford Museum, is so poor a fragment that the reference to this species of the now pretty numerous and tolerably perfect examples of Acanthodes from the Calciferous Sandstone Series of the district is more a matter of guess-work than of absolute scien- tific proof, though at the same time there is no real reason for doubt. The fish attains to a very considerable size, and is very closely allied to A. Wardi, Eg., of the Coal Measures. The little "sulcus" or groove on the scales, figured by Agassiz, and upon which he founded the specific name, is very inconstant, and can hardly be used as a character; in fact, the only tangible mark which I can find to distinguish sulcatus from Wardi is a somewhat greater straightness and slenderness of the " styliform " bone. I am of opinion that the remains of Acanthodes which occur in Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Arizona, on 26 Apr 2017 at 18:47:42, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0370164600007057 1889-90.] Dr Traquair on Fossil Dipnoi and Ganoidei. 393

the Carboniferous Limestone Series are specifically distinct both from Wardi and sulcatus, but unfortunately they are not sufficiently perfect to warrant the application of a new name. Sagenodus.—At the suggestion of Mr Smith Woodward, I adopt the term Sagenodus, Owen, for Ctenodont fishes of the type of obliquus, Atthey, and quinquecostatus, Traq., in place of Hemictenodus, Jaeckel. Sagenodus inequalis seems pretty certainly to have been founded by Sir R. Owen on a microscopic section of a young specimen of Ctenodus obliquus, Atthey (Trans. Odontolo. Soe., vol. v., 1867, p. 395, pi. xii.), while on the other hand one cannot feel sure that Jaeckel was correct in. referring Atthey's species to his genus Hemictenodus. Phaneropleuron.—I include Phaneropleuron with Ctenodus and its allies in the family Ctenodontidae, because the recent observations of Whiteaves, Jaeckel, and myself on specimens of Ph. curium, Whiteaves, from the Upper Devonian of Scaumenac Bay, Canada, clearly show what I had long suspected in the case of Ph. Andersoni, Huxley, that the configuration of the palatal bones and palatal dentition was essentially the same as in Ctenodus and Dipterus. Marginal teeth have, it is true, been also described by Huxley in Ph. Andersoni and by Whiteaves in Ph. curtum, but I do not consider that this character excludes it from the family. The name Cteno- dontidse is, I think, preferable to Pander's " Ctenododipterinse," as Dipterus is the only member of the family known to us in which the dorsal fin is differentiated into two. Uronemidce.—Notwithstanding the great external resemblance of Uronemus to Phaneropleuron, I am constrained to put the former in a distinct family, owing to the fact that the dentition does not assume the form of "ctenodont" plates, and the shape of the palatal bones is quite different. In Uronemus these bones are broad plates, with only a row of teeth along the outer margin, the surface internal to which is simply granulated. Details as to the structure of Uronemus will be given in a subsequent memoir. Strepsodus minor, n. sp.—Scales about -| inch in length by A inch in breadth; usually more or less quadrate or rectangular in aspect, the upper and lower borders being straight and parallel, the posterior border gently convex. Covered surface showing fine concentric striae, exposed area with radiating raised lines or feeble ridges, indicative

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of subjacent vascular channels. Associated with these scales is a small tooth, shaped as in Strepsodus sauroides, but with the striation of a much more delicate character (Museum of Science and Art). Megalichthys Icevis, n. sp.—I apply this term to a comparatively small species of Megalichthys, whose more or less disjointed remains are not uncommon in the ironstone nodules contained in the "roof" of the Dunnet oil shale worked at Straiton and Pentland. Its distinguishing specific character is the thinness of the scales and the absence of the usual prominent rib or keel on the under surface. In fact, these scales, when seen from below, are almost indistinguish- able from those of Rhizodopsis. Externally they are brilliantly ganoid on the free portion of the surface, as in other species. Type specimens in the Museum of Science and Art, Edinburgh. Elonichthys nemopterus, Ag.—After puzzling for years over innumerable specimens of the Bobisoni type of Elonichthys, which is so common in the Lower Carboniferous Rocks of central Scotland, and in vain seeking for definite characters towards dividing them into " good " species, I have been reluctantly compelled to abandon the quest, and to seek for a solution of the question by reuniting them all, with the exception of E. Bucklandi (Ag.), which can always be easily recognised by the strongly-marked and deeply-cut ornament of its scales. It is no doubt easy enough to put together a set of extreme forms, which any one might readily be tempted to adopt as distinct species, and in fact I did so myself at the commencement of my investiga- tions ; but the more material I obtained, the more and more unre- liable did I find every character turn out upon which I had fixed as diagnostic. For example, the relative fineness or coarseness of the fin-rays, and the relative distance of their transverse articulations, are characters which are quite inconstant. As a rule, the fin-rays are proportionally more slender and more distantly articulated in young specimens, though this condition sometimes persists in adult forms. Also, no reliance can be placed on the relative extent to which the scales are striated or punctate, or upon whether the punctate area is nearly smooth or thickly covered with punctures. Unfortunately the relative size of the scales and the number of rays in each fin are characters which can only be accurately ascertained in exceptionally well-preserved specimens, as a certain amount of

distortion is common to the greater number of those specimens as they occur in the rock. All the forms which I include under Elonichthys nemopterus are fishes of a tolerably deeply fusiform shape, with large fins, the dorsal and anal triangular, and high in front; the fin rays longitudinally striated, save in some cases the proximal parts of those of the lower lobe of the caudal; the principal rays of the pectoral articulated up to their origins. The scales are finely serrated on their posterior margins; their ornament is delicately striato-punctate, as shown in my description and figures of those of the variety striolatus (Carb. Ganoids, Pal. Soc, 1877); but, as remarked above, there is an infinite variety in the relative extent of the striation and punctation. As a rule the most anterior scales are entirely striated; those of the middle of the body striated towards the anterior margin and punctate posteriorly; while those towards the tail become nearly smooth. The cranial roof bones are for the most part finely tuberoulated; those of the face striated, and very considerable variety occurs here as to the closeness and prominence of the striation. As well marked varieties I may retain the following :— a. E. nemopterus, Ag. type.—Fin-rays slender, rather distantly articulated, striated ornament prevalent on the scales. C.S., Wardie, Pumpherston. b. Var. striolatus, Ag. — Fin-rays relatively coarser, very closely articulated, scales delicately striate-punctate. The Palceoniscus Robisoni of Hibbert and Agassiz {Elonichthys Robisoni, Traq. olim) is doubtless the young of this variety. C.S., Burdiehouse, Burntisland, Pitcorthy. c. Var. inter-medius, Traq.'—Like striolatus, but the transverse articulations of the median fin-rays not so close. C.S., Wardie, Burdiehouse, S. Queensferry, Pitcorthy, &c. This includes one of the two types of Agassiz's Amblyp- terus punctatus from Wardie. d. Var. Dunsii, Traq.—Rays of the dorsal fin finely serrated posteriorly. C.S., Broxbnrn. e. Var. t&nuiserratus, Traq.—Scales with the external ornament very delicately marked, nearly smooth, posterior serration very fine. Sculpture of head bones strongly marked. Of all the forms enumerated above, this is the one I abandon Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Arizona, on 26 Apr 2017 at 18:47:42, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0370164600007057 396 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [SESS.

with the most reluctance, but the occurrence of links apparently connecting it with the others, leaves me no alternative. C.S., W. Calder. /. Var. affinis, Traq.—Like intermedius, but the fins apparently rather smaller and composed of fewer rays. C.L., Gilmerton, Loanhead, Wallyford, Denhead. As to E. ovatus, Traq., I abandon it altogether, as being pretty certainly a form with the body shortened up by distortion.

Elonichthys rnidtistriatus, n. sp.—The remains of this remarkable and undoubtedly new species which have as yet been found, consist of fragments of fishes more or less distorted, and also disjointed scales and bones. The former set of remains indicate that the body was deeply fusiform, the fins large and composed of numerous closely striated rays, and the head bones resembling in shape those of E. pectinatus, Traq. But the scales are altogether peculiar. Those of the flanks are higher than broad, more or less rectangular in form, the covered area narrow, the exposed portion covered with fine sharp raised striae or ridges, which are sub-parallel, frequently bifurcating and also anastomosing, and cross the surface of the scale obliquely from above downwards and backwards. From the upper margin of the scale, and rather near the anterior superior margin, there projects a strong pointed and grooved articular spine; the posterior margin is entire and without serrations. When I first saw the scales of this fish, their form and manner of ornament strongly suggested Platysomid affinities, but the maxilla and cast of the mandible lying with them in the same slab clearly . showed that we had to deal with a member of the Palaeoniscidae. Other specimens, as aforesaid, indicate that the safest genus to place it in is Eloniehthys. It must have attained a considerable size. G.L., Gilmerton and Loanhead. Type specimens in the collection of the author. Elonichthys striatus, Ag.—I formerly separated this species under the generic term Cosmoptychius, owing to the presence of a small plate, which is wedged in anteriorly between the operculum and the quadrate plate beneath it, usually reckoned as suboperculum.

As in the Lower Permian genus Rhabdolepis of Troschel, this plate extends back the whole way to the opercular margin, and com- pletely separates the operculum from the quadrate plate beneath. I considered it as the true " suboperculum," and reckoned the quadrate plate as " interoperculum," an opinion which I subse- quently recanted in my paper on Chondrosteus*in which I restored the term " suboperculum " to the quadrate plate, and considered the small intermediate one as accessory. I had not, at the time I instituted the genus Cosmoptychius, observed this little triangular accessory plate in ElonicMhys, but since then I have seen it frequently, aad in consequence I feel that there is no sufficient ground for separating striatus from the other species of the last named genus. Rhadiniehthys ornatissimus, Ag.—I have long had no doubt as to my former R. Upturns from Burntisland being only a young specimen of R. ornatissimus, and therefore cancel the species. Ex- ceptionally fine specimens of R. ornatissimus have recently occurred in the roof of the Dunnet shale at Straiton and Pentland. Rhadiniehthys carinatus, Ag.—I much regret that a similar fate must befall R. Geikiei from Eedhall; but the accession of a fine series of carinatus from Pumpherston has so much added to our knowledge of its characters, that it has become clear that the little specimens from the former locality, which I named in honour of the Director-general of the Geological Survey, must be absorbed in the Agassizian species. In Agassiz's type of this species from Wardie, as well as in other specimens from that locality, the outer surface of the scales is imperfectly shown, hence I formerly described it as entirely smooth or nearly so; but the Pumpherston specimens, which I cannot avoid referring to carinatus, from the general appearance and contour of the body and fins, clearly display the same character of scale ornament as I had previously attributed to Geikiei (Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin., ix. 1877, p. 439). I also, in my paper on the Eskdale Ganoids, doubtfully identified the common Rhadiniehthys of the Glencartholm beds with the supposed species, R. Geikiei, and it has been long evident to me that this doubt was amply justified. Though closely allied, the Glencartholm fish has a considerably eoarser serration of the posterior margins of the - * Geol. Mag., June 1887, p. 253.

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scales, which is very constant in spite of the numerous other variations exhibited by the large series of specimens which I have examined; and the name Geikiei having been originally applied in error to another species, it cannot now be adopted for any member of the genus, so that for the more southern species I must adopt the name elegantulus, previously given by me to one of its varieties. R. delicatulus, Traq., from the same beds, is also a mere variety of the same species. Ehadinichthys macrocephalus, n. sp.—Allied to R. carinatus in general appearance and scale sculpture, but proportionately shorter, with a smaller number of transverse scale-bands, the flank scales rather high in proportion to their breadth, the head proportionately larger, and the suspensorium less oblique than in the species last referred to. O.S., Pumpherston ; the most common species in the " curly shale" worked there and at the adjacent oil work of Holmes. Type specimens in the collection of the author. Nematoptychius Greenocki, Ag.—N. gracilis, Traq., from the Gilmerton Black Band Ironstone, is certainly a young individual of this species. Acrolepis semigranulosus, n. sp.—From the roof of the Dunnet shale at Straiton, the Edinburgh Museum possesses a slab covered with scales of a large Acrolepis, the sculpture of which is different from that of any other member of the genus with which I am acquainted. These scales, which have the size and form of those of A. Hopkinsi (M'Coy), are covered on their exposed area with innumerable closely-set fine ridges, often tortuous, and tending constantly to break up into tubercles; their main direction is, how- ever, as usual, obliquely across the scale from the anterior margin. As my ElonicMhys ortholepis from Glencartholm turns out to be a young specimen of a large Acrolepis, there are now four species of Acrolepis known, or at least described, from the Carboniferous rocks of Great Britain, viz.,—Hopkinsi, M'Coy; Wilsoni, Traq.; ortholepis, Traq.; and semigranulosus, Traq. I may here mention that I can see no radical distinction between the scales of the fish from the Carboniferous Limestone series of the West of Scotland, which I described as Acrolepis Rankinei (Ag.), and the scales from Derbyshire in the Woodwardian Museum, Cambridge, figured by M'Coy as HoloptycMua Hopkinsi. Though,

according to the traditions of the Glasgow geologists, this species is Agassiz's Gyrolepis Rankinei, the name, having been accompanied by no description in the Poissons Fossiles, has no right of priority. Drydenius insignis, n. gen. and sp.—When my attention was first drawn to the vertebrate fossils of the Borough Lee and Loan- head Blackband Ironstone, I attributed certain small jaw-fragments, showing peculiar bent cylindro-conical and conspicuous teeth, to Gonatodus macrolepis, Traq.; but after collecting a large number of those little dentigerous bones, it began to be clear to me that I had, on the other hand, to deal with a new fish, of which more or less entire specimens with the teeth in situ began also to turn up. The most entire example I have seen is 4 inches in length, and, but for the peculiarity of the dentition to be presently described, one would indeed be inclined to refer it to Gonatodus. The scales are exactly, as in that genus, nearly smooth, with finely serrated posterior margins; the fin-rays are proportionally rather coarse and also smooth; the cranial roof bones are ornamented with flattened tortuous ridges. It is in the bones of the jaws that the peculiarities reside, which have induced me to elevate the species also to the type of a genus. The hinder part of the maxilla forms a short expanded plate, from the middle of the anterior aspect of which the narrow anterior or suborbital process extends; so that the tooth- bearing margin is posteriorly bent suddenly downwards at a considerable angle. This margin is set as in Gonatodus with a single row of proportionally stout cylindro-conical pointed teeth. The dentary element of the mandible is rather stout, and shows on its upper margin a row of similar teeth. The splenial element presents a dental armature which I have not seen in any other palaeoniscid. The bone is narrow, rounded posteriorly, concave externally, and tapering to a point in front, its upper straight margin being set with a single row of short conical pointed teeth. But the inner, or oral aspect, shows an area about the middle, and occupying more than \ of its length, from which a row of six powerful cylindro-conical teeth arises, behind which are three or four small ones. The large teeth seem disproportionally large for the small size of the fish, and are conspicuous even in the most crushed heads. They are strongly curved with the convexity inwards.

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As already mentioned, I have seen no such dentition either in Gonatodus or in any other paleeoniscid fish, and consequently I have considered it advisable to constitute the new genus, Drydenius, for this little fish. The name is taken from the Vale of Dryden, which is in close proximity to the ironstone mines of Borough Lee and Loanhead. Type specimens in the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art. Eurynotus crenatus, Agassiz.—The original specimen of E. fim- briatus, Ag., from Wardie, in the Oxford Museum, is a very poor fragment, upon which no specific characters distinguishing it from E. crenatus can really be founded, especially if one takes into account the enormous number of other specimens of the genus from the Scotch Lower Carboniferous rocks which have been collected since Agassiz wrote the Poissons Fossiles. These specimens show very great differences in many respects; but the result of my puzzling over them for years is that, with the exception of a peculiar form from Loanhead, all must be referred to the same species, namely, E. crenatus, Ag. In some cases the scales are comparatively smooth, in others more ornamented; in some the crenation of their edges in the dorsal region is extremely coarse, in others this character is not so marked. With regard to the fin-rays, the same remarks apply which I made in the case of Elowichthys nemopterus, namely, that in young specimens these are more slender and the transverse joints more distant than in adults, in which also there is no fixed condition as regards this particular. In many instances the rays of the dorsal fin are serrated posteriorly, but I cannot venture to found a species on this. Eurynotus microlepidotus, n. sp.—Characterised by the small size of its scales and the large dimensions of its fins. C.L., Loanhead. Type specimens in the collection of the author. Cheirodus crassus, n. sp.—Scales with a relatively coarser ornament than in Oh. granulosus, Young; internal rib or " lepidopleuron," not nearly so distinctly marked off; G.L., Abden. The same scales occur at Beith, Ayrshire, associated with dentary plates referable to Cheirodus. Type specimens from Abden in the Museum of Science and Art. From. Beith, in the collection of Eobert Craig, Esq., Langside, Beith.