EASTMAN : CARBONIFEROUS FISHES FROM THE CENTRAL WEST. 221 



S. A. Miller, and others at this locality a number of years ago, and more re- 

 cently Prof. J. A. Uddeu has collected further specimens of the same sort nuur 

 Burlin^'ton. The nature of these bodies 

 is entirely problematical, some of the 

 best-known palaeontologists who have ex- 

 amined them being unable to express any 

 decided opinion concerning them. Their 

 finely laminated structure does not in the 

 least indicate them to be of vertebrate 

 origin, nor can they be satisfactorily 

 classed with plant remains. The sugges- 

 tion that they may have to do with Mol- 

 luscan remains is as compatible as any 

 with the internal structure, but we are at 

 a loss to identify them with the usual 

 hard i)arts, not even excepting the beaks 

 of Nantiloids. Any attempt to houKjlo- 

 gize them with any known Crustacean 

 structure is equally baffling. Owing to 

 the not uncommon occurrence of these 

 bodies in accompaniment with fish-remains 

 in the Kinderhook, they are at least 

 worthy of passing notice, and the accompanying figure is given in tlie hope 

 that some clue may be found concerning their true nature. 



Fig. 17. 



Problematical fossil from the Kinder- 

 hook hmestone of Burlington, Iowa, 



