193 

 PIMELODUS. 



PiMELODUS ANTIQUUS. 



Among the fossil-fish lemaiiis of Professor tiaydcn's colleotioii from Uic 

 junction of the Big Sandy and Green Rivers, there are a iiumher of fragments 

 of pectoral spines and a few jaw-fragments of a species of cat-tish. 



The pectoral spines, of which two fragments are represented in Figs. 44, 

 45, Plate XXXII, are like those of our living cat-fisii. A fragment compris- 

 ing about two-thirds of the symphysial portion of a dcntary bone. Fig. 46, re- 

 sembles the same in the recent cat-fish, and, as in it, was covered with a l)n)a(l 

 card-like surface of teeth. The breadth of the dentary surfiice near the sym- 

 physis is 3^ lines. The pectoral spines have ranged from an inch to upward 

 of 2 inches in length. The size of the specie was from a foot to 18 inclies. 



PHAREODUS. 



PlIAEEODUS ACUTUS. 



Accompanying the remains of gars and cat-fish, from i\\{- junction of lh<' 

 Big Sandy and Green Rivers, there are many fragments of jaw-l)oncs and 

 others with teeth, evidently not belonging to either of those genera of fislies. 

 They also present sufficient peculiarity to render it jirobable that they may 

 not belong in the same family with Amia, and therefore jiroljably not to thc! 

 closely allied genera supposed to be indicated by the vertebral specimens 

 described in the preceding pages. The means of comparison at my command 

 are too scanty to enable me to determine the affinities of the fish to which 

 the fossils pertain. 



Figs. 49, 50, Plate XXXII represent two of the best preserved and more 

 characteristic of the specimens, consisting of fragments of" dentary bones. 

 These are proportionately deeper and stronger than in Amia. Tliey su])])oi'f 

 a single row of long teeth at the border, and possess no patch of smaller 

 teeth internally such as exist in Amia. The teeth are cylindro-conical, witii 

 their somewhat thickened liases close together and firmly co-ossified with the 

 jaw. Tlieir shaft is straight and not curved as in Amia, l)ut thc sharp coni- 

 cal apex is bent inwardly. 



Figs. 47, 48 represent fragments of prcmaxillaries. In these the iccWi 

 are of the same character as in thc dentary bones, Ijul are less beni at tlic 

 tips. 



•JF, 



) c. 



