RECENT ADVANCES IN SCIENCE 421 



root is of enormous size, having apparently grown at the 

 expense of the crown, which is now reduced to a quite sub- 

 ordinate position. This last stage is seen in the teeth of Edestus 

 minor. 



The new species, which was obtained from the Millstone 

 Grit of Brockholes, Huddersfield, represents an extremely 

 generalised type of Edestus, the most primitive yet discovered. 

 Hence the light it throws on the peculiarities of succeeding 

 genera and species. 



We are indebted to Dr. Smith Woodward for enlightenment 

 this year on the teeth of yet another group of fishes — the 

 Pycnodonts. These, the " coral-fishes " of Mesozoic seas, bear 

 a striking superficial likeness to the coral-fishes of our own 

 seas ; a likeness, however, to be ascribed to adaptation to 

 similar modes of feeding and environment. The incisor teeth 

 are closely similar to those of living coral-fishes ; and this 

 likeness in the matter of the dentition, it is now pointed out 

 (2), extends also to the claw-shaped pharyngeal teeth such as 

 are found, for example, in Batistes. Thus it comes about, Dr. 

 Woodward points out, that we must regard the isolated pharyn- 

 geal teeth known to Palaeontologists as those of Ancistrodus as 

 the prehensile teeth of Pycnodonts ; so that " Ancistrodus " 

 must henceforth disappear from our text-books. 



For some years past Mr. Barnum Brown has been assidu- 

 ously adding to our knowledge of the Ceratopsia. During the 

 present year he has described (3) the skeletons of two species 

 new to Science, of the horned dinosaur Monoclonius, from the 

 Belly River formations (Upper Cretaceous). An instructive 

 insight into the habits of these huge reptiles is afforded by 

 his remark that while there is no record of two or more speci- 

 mens of Triceratops being found together, no less than eleven 

 individuals of Monclonius and Ceratops have been found inter- 

 mingled, suggesting that the Belly River genera were probably 

 gregarious. Of the species to which he assigns the name 

 Monoclonius cutleri only the posterior half of the skeleton was 

 recovered, but in association with the femur was found a large 

 piece of tuberculated skin which apparently formed part of a 

 ventral armature. 



The second species, to which he has given the name M. 

 nasicornis, is represented by a complete skeleton, and this has 

 enabled him to give a restoration showing the appearance of 



