Rejxyrt on the State of Disease in Scotland. 163 



fishes wore found by M. Agassiz to be all new, and he has appended 

 to mj paper, in the New Philosophical Journal^ a short description of 

 them. Here I shall do little more than enumerate the species. 



I. — GANOIDS. 



1. Aspidorhynchus Comptoni, Agass. Near to A, Cinctus of the 

 Kentish chalk. 



2. Lepidotus temnuriM, Agass. Also nearly allied to a species from 

 the chalk of Kent 



II. — OTENOIDS. 



1. Bhacolepis. This is a new genus, and differs from all the others 

 of the group to which it belongs, by the single dorsal fin having no 

 spinous ray ; and by the ventral being placed on the middle of the 

 abdomen. There are three species, — Eh. latuSf Agass.; Bh. hiuxalis, 

 Agass. ; and Mh. Brama, Agass. 



III. — CYCLOIDS. 



1. Cladocyclus Gardneri, Agass. A scale, published by Agassiz, 

 from the Kentish chalk, and supposed by him to belong to his genus 

 Hypsodon, is the scale of a Cladocyclus. 



2. Calamopleurus cylindricus, Agass. 



I also possess, from the same rocks, specimens of two species of 

 very minute bivalve shells, a single valve of a venus, and casts of a 

 univalve shell, all apparently new. 



Dr. R. D. Thomson presented to the Society the Third and Fourth 

 Annual Reports of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths, and Mar- 

 riages, for 1841 and 1842. 



He also read the following Report, which was adopted, and ordered 

 to be inserted in the Proceedings of the Society. 



XXXV II. — Beport on the State of Disease in Scotland* 



The Committee appointed to consider the best moans of improving 

 the state of Vital Statistics in Scotland, and the consequent sanatory 

 condition of the inhabitants, beg to submit the following Report to 

 the consideration of the Philosophical Society: — 



The Committee believe that it is scarcely necessary for them to 

 offer an apology while directing the Society's attention to that most 

 important of all scientific questions — the sanatory condition of the 

 people. For, if the opinion of one of our soundest philosophers be 

 correct, that the greatness of a country depends on its population — 

 and if the object of practical science be the discovery of those truths 

 which tend to the comfort and happiness of the people — then it is 

 unquestionable that a legitimate application of science is the discovery 

 and prevention of those causes which diminish the population, or which 

 render it unhealthy and miserable. 



