u 



HARDWICKE'S SC1E N C E-GOSS I P. 



also been read before the London Geological Society, 

 by H. F. Blandford, Esq., F.G.S., in which the 

 author showed that the plant-bearing series of 

 India ranges from early Permian to the latest 

 Jurassic times, indicating that, with few and local 

 exceptions, land and freshwater conditions had 

 prevailed uninterruptedly over its area during this 

 long lapse of time, and perhaps even from an earlier 

 period. In the early Permiau there is evidence in 

 the shape of boulder-beds and breccias underlying 

 the lowest beds of the Talchir group, of a pre- 

 valence of cold climate down to low latitudes in 

 India, and as the observations of geologists in South 

 Africa and Australia would seem to show in both 

 hemispheres simultaneously. With the decrease of 

 cold the author believed the Flora and Reptilian 

 Fauna of Permian times were diffused to Africa, 

 India, and perhaps Australia ; or the Flora may 

 have existed somewhat earlier in Australia, and 

 have been diffused thence. The evidence he thought 

 showed that during the Permian epoch, India, South 

 Africa, and Australia were connected by an Indo- 

 oceanic continent, and that the first two remained 

 so connected, with at the utmost some short inter- 

 vals, up to the end of the Miocene period. During 

 the latter part of the time this continent was also con- 

 nected with Malayana. The position of the connect- 

 ing land was said to be indicated by the range of 

 coral reefs and banks that now exists between the 

 Arabian Sea and West Africa. Up to the end of the 

 Nummulitie epoch, except perhaps for short 

 periods, no direct connection existed between India 

 and Western Asia. 



Carboniferous Fishes.— At a recent meeting 

 of the Manchester Geological Society, Mr. John 

 Aitken, F.G.S., exhibited a number of interesting 

 fossils, principally from the Coal Measures of Lan- 

 cashire, and read the following brief description of 

 them :— "Nos. 1 and 2 are two specimens of a new 

 and undescribed ganoid fish of the genus Pygo- 

 ptenis, which I recently discovered in a slab of 

 shale from over the Arley Mine of coal at Copy 

 Coal-pit, in the Cliviger valley, near Burnley. The 

 slabs exhibit the fish laid on its side, with the 

 exception of the head, which presents the upper 

 surface to view. Both sides of the fish are exhibited, 

 showing the form of the head, tail, and fins with 

 marked distinctness. The head is long and com- 

 paratively narrow, and ornamented by the pre- 

 sence of well-marked, long, waving ridges, which 

 traverse it throughout its entire length. The scales 

 are about one-eighth of an inch in length across their 

 longest axis, rhomboidal in shape, and highly sculp- 

 tured, having about six or eight distinct waving 

 ridges aud furrows crossing them in a line almost 

 parallel with their sides, and in a line with the body 

 of the fish. The tail and fins are also well shown, 

 the former being well defined, and very large in 

 proportion to the size of the fish, measuring across 



from point to point two inches and a half, whilst 

 the total length of the specimen reaches only five 

 inches and a half, and the breadth of the body at its 

 widest part one inch. The head is bent round so as 

 to bring the snout to within about three-quarters 

 of an inch from the lower lobe of the tail. No. 3 

 is a tooth of Rhizodus Hibberti, Agg., from the 

 Blackband Ironstone, Denhead, Fifeshire, situated 

 low down in the Carboniferous Limestone series of 

 Scotland. Teeth of this genus have not as yet 

 been found in the true Coal Measures of England, 

 and it is a moot point with ichthyologists whether 

 their origin should be referred to fish, or to some 

 animal of the Labyrinthodont or some other closely 

 allied order. The specimen exhibited is in a good 

 state of preservation but small, being only two 

 inches in length, whilst some teeth of this character 

 are known to reach fully six inches or more in 

 length. No. 4 is a rare palatal tooth named 

 Psephodus ma-gnus, from the Arley Mine of the 

 Middle Coal Measures, Burnley. Its form is that 

 of a truncated or obtuse cone, having both ends 

 rounded, -y- of an inch in length, and T ° s of an 

 inch wide at its broadest part, and a quarter of an 

 inch at its narrowest end. It is semi-cylindrical in 

 shape, having its upper surface rounded in a line 

 with its greatest length, the entire surface being 

 covered with a profusion of very fine punctations. 

 This tooth is exceedingly rare in the coal Measures, 

 but is said to be a moderately common form in the 

 Carboniferous Limestone of Armagh, in Ireland. 

 Nos. 5 aud G are two fine examples of Petalodus, 

 obtained from the Upper Foot Coal of the Lower 

 Coal Measures, Oldham. These teeth aie the only 

 two of this genus derived from the Coal Measures 

 which have come under my observation, if indeed 

 they are not the only ones yet found, although they 

 are by no means rare in the Carboniferous Lime- 

 stones of Ireland and Yorkshire. Lord Enniskillen 

 has remarked that he had never previously met 

 with teeth of this genus from the Coal Measures. 

 The specimens measure one inch across the widest 

 part, three-quarters of an inch in length, and half 

 an inch across the base ; they are convex on one side 

 and flat on the other, and one of them shows traces 

 of rather indistinct punctations on the upper or con- 

 vex surface. Nos. 7 aud 8 are also two palatal 

 teeth from the Lower Coal Measures of Oldham. 

 No. 7 is doubtfully referred to the genus Helodus, its 

 shape, however, is not that usually characterizing 

 teeth of this class. No. 8 is an undetermined palatal 

 tooth of so unusual a form that I have not ven- 

 tured to offer an opinion as to the genus to which 

 it should be referred. Nos. 9 and 10 are two palatal 

 teeth from the same locality and horizon as Nos. 

 5 and G, described above, probably belonging to the 

 genus Helodus, the form of which, however, is so differ- 

 ent from that usually assumed by teeth of this genus 

 as torender their determination somewhat doubtful." 



