428 Proceedings of the British Association. 



Professor Jameson exhibited a fossil fish, the Cephalaspis of 

 Agassiz, whicli lie had found in the old red sandstone (Forfarshire) 

 several years ago, long after he had determined that the sandstone of 

 Caithness, Orkney, Shetland, and of whole tracts of country on 

 the east and west of Scotland, were of the same geognostical age : 

 and Mr Blackadder exhibited a fossil fish from Glammis millstone 

 quarry, in the same district. 



M. Agassiz made some observations on the fossil fishes of Scot- 

 land, and the following is a summary of the general conclusions he 

 has formed as to these remains. 



The high geological antiquity of the greater part of the strati- 

 fied mountains of Scotland, gives a peculiar interest to the investiga- 

 tion of their organic remains ; as they lead us to the knowledge 

 of the condition of our planet, at a period in regard to which we 

 possess only a few insulated fragments of information. The mol- 

 lusca, zoophytes, &c. of these formations, have been examined by 

 many ; but the remains of vertebrate animals have been but little 

 investigated, and of fishes, we are acquainted with those only which 

 have been described and figured by Messrs Sedgwick and Murchi- 

 son, and which have also been noticed by Cuvier and Pentland. 

 The occurrence of a large number of these was known, but no par- 

 ticular information as to their nature was communicated. For a 

 long period I have been anxious to have an opportunity of exa- 

 mining these interesting fossils ; and this has been afforded me by 

 the meeting of the British Association at Edinburgh. I have jiow 

 to offer a short notice of the results of my examination, and at the 

 same time to thank geologists for the kindness and liberality with 

 which they have assisted me. 



The collections which have afforded me the most important ma- 

 terials are the following : That of the Royal Society, which, through 

 the unwearied exertions of the Secretary, Mr Robison, contains 

 many remarkable remains from Burdiehouse ; the collection of Dr 

 Hibbert, which also is rich in fossils from the same locality; Dr 

 Traill's collection, containing many interesting fishes from Orkney ; 

 Lord Greenock's extensive series of ichthyolites, from the coal for- 

 mation, and especially from Newhaven. In Professor Jameson's 

 possession I saw a large head of a fish from the old red sandstone 

 of Forfarshire, and of which Messrs Murchison and Sedgwick have 

 shewn me a less perfect specimen, but one which exhibits the other 

 parts of the body. Mr Torrie submitted to my examination an 

 extensive collection of fossil fishes from Caithness, similar to those 



