73 339 



nageoires, et présente des articulations entièrement analogues à celles de ces derniers") 

 Meckel curiously enough (35, p. 200) believed it to be a continuation of the vertebrae ("Bei 

 Fisliilarin fin(iet sich die merkwürdige Anordnung, dass sich die immer kleiner werdenden 

 Wirbel über die Schwanztlosse hinaus in einen langen, sehr dünnen Faden verwan<leln, 

 welcher nur in seinem Anfange in unvollkoniniene Wirbel abgetheilt erscheint"). Knek i28b, 

 p. 259 [2(S]) has partly seen the continuation of the lateral line on the caudal lilamenl: "I.etzterer 

 (der Scitencanal) setzt sich durch die Mitte der Caudale zwischen zwei fadig verlängerten 

 Strahlen weit hinaus fort." 



The structure of the fin-rays generally is already mentioned by Agassiz (1, p. 278) in so 

 far as he says that they are "peu divisés et à peine articulés." Kner (28 b, p. 257 [26]) on the 

 other side says that in all the lins the rays are simple, unjointed and unbranched, and of a 

 similar compressed shape as those in the Lophobranchiata.'" He has evidently not examined 

 the ventrals carefully enough. 



1^ p. 288 [221. The cranial skeleton of Fislularia has early and often been examined, but 

 a thorough, sufficiently illustrated, description has hitherto never been published, and very 

 many of the statements made by previous authors are incorrect. The figures of Rosenthal 

 (47, pi. 9, figs. 8—12) are rather small and imperfect, and the explanation (1. c. p. 30) is too 

 incomi)lete and defective to be of any use now. 



In the last (0th) volume of his "System der vergl. Anatomie" (1833) Meckel has given 

 some scattered notes regarding the visceral (susjicnsory and branchian skeleton. P. 107—108 

 he describes and recognizes the 3 opercular bones and points out the presence of the pre- 

 operculum (cfr. also p. 113, 114); p. 122 he remarks that the hyoid ("vordere Zungenbeinäste") 

 is small, flat and low (p. 123), only composed of two pieces, the first (i. e. the stylohyal) and 

 second (i. e. epihyal) being absent, and the fourth (i. e. the two hypohyals combined) single 

 and very small, and that the whole is almost entirely made up of the third i.e. the cerato- 

 hyal), which is elongated and curved (p. 126); it carries 5 branchiostegal rays or rather "4, 

 because the ui)per is split into two branches, which form the first and second ray." P. 135 

 it is stated that the basibranchials (die "tiefe unpaare mittlere Schicht des Zungenbeins"') 

 are wanting, while a urohyal ("das oberflächliche mittlere Zungenbein") is present (repeated on 

 p. 142 ; ]). 148 is noticed that the glossohyal ("der vor der Vereinigung der vorderen Seiten- 

 äste liegende Knochen oder Knori)el") is very long; p. 152 that the branchial arches are small 

 and slender, and p. 154 that they are of a very simple structure: "Von einer Theilung des 

 langen, geraden Kiemenstückes in zwei Hälften findet sich keine Spur. Nur in den vorderen 

 Bogen Inidet sich ferner ein oberes, sehr kleines, nach vorn gewandtes, gleichfalls gerades 

 Stück, das keine Kiemen trägt und daher eben so gut oberer Schlundko])fknochen seyn kann." 

 Finally p. 161 and p. 162 is correctly stated that gill-rakers are completely absent. 



Agassiz (1, p. 277) describes quite correctly those features, which may be seen without 

 sei)arating a mounted skeleton, and which might be of use in comi)aring with fossils. Worth 

 mentioning is that he describes the 3 opercular bones rightly. He has seen the long glosso- 

 hyal and counts 5 branchiostcgals, but besides he adds two more at the symi)hysis of the 

 hyoid; this mistake is due to the preparation, in which a strip of dried up skin is preserved; 

 the latter also accounts for the following mistake: "La membrane qui forme le tube buccal, 

 entre l'appareil hyoïde, les mâchoires et les pièces operculaires, est soutenue par de nom- 

 breuses fibres osseuses très-grèlcs."' In Cuvier's Leçons etc. (9 b, T. 2, p. 626) is found the 

 following: "Dans Vaiilostome chinois', le museau est large, mince et plat comme une épée à 

 deux tranchants. I^e mastoïdien û. e. the posttemijoral) donne en arrière une apophyse qui 

 dépasse beaucoup le condyle. Dans ces deux poissons [Fist, and Au/.], le basilaire, au lieu 

 d'une facette articulaire creuse, conique, comme nous en avons vu jusquà présent, donne 



■ i. e. Fist, tabacaria, cfr. above p. 335 [69] note 5. I^erhaps the same wrong labelling, which 

 caused tlie designation of F. tabacaria as Aiilostoma cliinense on pi. 35 in Agassiz's work as well as 

 Hiii'Hi.'s mistake, is also the cause of the exchanging of the same names in CuviEn's Leçons. 



1). K. II. Viilcnsk. Selsk. Slir., 7. liældif, n.nlinviilcnsli. o« m:illK-ni Al.l. VIM. .''.. 44 



