206 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



" Cat. Acanth. Fishes," ii. p. 99) ; and Savage gives it the 

 name of Sebastes bibroni. On the other hand, Sebastes 

 norwegicus has figured under the name of Scorpcsna 

 norwegicus by Richardson ("Faun. Bor. Amer.," iii. p. 52), 

 Jenyns (" British Vert." p. 347), and Johnston (" Trans. Berw. 

 Nat. Club," 1838,1. p. I /o). Now this continual change and 

 substitution of names is an endless source of trouble and 

 perplexity that could, to a large extent, be easily obviated ; 

 and it is earnestly hoped that some mitigation of this growing 

 evil may be soon brought about. 



ON THE DISCOVERY OF CEPHALASPIS IN 

 THE CAITHNESS FLAGS. 



(Abstract of a paper read before Section C of the British Association at 

 Nottingham, September 1893.) 



By Dr. R. H. TRAQUAIR, F.R.S. 



IT is remarkable that although Cephalaspis is so character- 

 istic a genus of fossil fishes in the Lower Old Red Sand- 

 stone of Forfarshire and of the West of England, there has 

 been hitherto no record of its occurrence in the great 

 Orcadian area of Old Red Sandstone which lies to the north 

 of the Grampians. This autumn, however, a magnificent 

 specimen was discovered in the pavement quarry at Spital, 

 about ten miles from Thurso, and presented by the Caithness 

 Flagstone Company to the Edinburgh Museum of Science 

 and Art. 



This unique specimen constitutes a new species, which is 

 the largest known, exceeding in this respect even C. Salweyi, 

 Egert, and C. Jcxi, Traq. The length of the shield is 81 

 inches, and its breadth, were the right cornu entire, would 

 be 1 2 inches ; but this excessive proportional breadth may 

 be so far accounted for by its having been crushed absolutely 

 flat. The snout is pointed, as in C. Campbelltownensis, 

 Whiteaves, though not quite so acutely ; but the cornua, 

 instead of being long and curved, as in that species, are com- 

 paratively short and broad based, the orbits are also pro- 

 portionally smaller and farther apart. The surface-ornament, 



