O PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



to the Carboniferous deposits. In America they have also been 

 discovered in the Devonian and Carboniferous formations, Pro- 

 fessor Newberry having figured and described a number of Car- 

 boniferous forms in his work on the Palaeontology of Ohio. In 

 Britain no remains of Conodonts seem to have been noticed in the 

 strata of the several formations previous to this discovery by Mr. 

 Smith, but it is very likely they will yet be found on a more 

 careful examination of the beds. These Conodonts are found in 

 both the lower and upper limestones of the Ayrshire coal-field, 

 upwards of thirty forms having been already discovered, and the 

 number Avill probably be increased by further researches in the 

 deposits. 



Mr. Young stated that he had recently the opportunity of 

 submitting Mr. Smith's specimens to a Canadian Palaeontologist, 

 Mr. Jennings Hinde, when on a visit to this country, and he stated 

 that they were closely related to the American forms, especially to 

 those that Professor Newberry had described from the Carbon- 

 iferous strata. Although these curious tooth-like organisms have 

 now been known to Palaeontologists for more than twenty years, 

 great doubts still exist as to what group of animals they belong. 

 Dr. Pander, their first discoverer, thought they were the teeth of a 

 group of cyclostomatous fishes allied to the present Lampreys. 

 Professor Owen doubts their fish affinities very much, and says 

 some of them may be the dentated claws of small crustaceans; and 

 that others may be the tooth booklets or denticles of naked 

 molluscs or annelides. No undoubted fish remains are at present 

 recorded from strata older than the upper Silurian, so, if Dr. Pander 

 is right in referring them to fishes, as Professor Newberry thinks 

 he is, fish life will have to be carried forward to much earlier 

 strata, namely the Cambrian. In the Ayrshire limestones yielding 

 these Conodonts, remains of many genera of fishes belonging to 

 the plagiostomous and lepidoganoid groups have been found. 

 Many of these, especially the minuter forms, have not yet been 

 determined, but amongst them it may be interesting to note the 

 occurrence of the vertebral bones of small fishes, in the most 

 beautiful state of preservation. If the Conodonts are yet satis- 

 factorily proved to belong to the fishes, the vertebral bones may 

 also belong to the same group. The Ayrshire Conodonts are 

 obtained by washing the weathered limestone found in the fissures 

 or nodular cavities of the rock; many of them being in a perfect 



