352 86 



DUMÉHIL describes briefly (12 a, p. 1-15, b, p. 478) the intermaxillaries, maxillaries and 

 mandible; the latter articulated to the quadrate ("jugal" or "quadrato-jugal"), which is much 

 elongated and forms part of the tubiform snout, together with the ethmoid, vomer and 

 nasal and the coalesced sub- and interoperculum; a, p. 149, b, p. 481 heremarks that 2 or 3 

 branchiostegal rays are found and adds that the preoperculum is absent and repeats the 

 wrong statement that the suboperculuni and interoperculum are coalesced to form part 

 of the tube. Some of these incorrect statements will be found still surviving in the later 

 literature. 



Cope (8, p. 457) states for his Lophobranchii (comprising Solenoslomidæ. Siinr/nalhida\ 

 Hippocampidw): "Mouth bounded by the premaxiilary above; posttemporal simple, coossified 

 with tile cranium. Basis cranii simple .... Inferior and superior pharyngeals and superior 

 branchihyals ( i. e. epibranchials) wanting or unossified." To Cope's diagnostic skeletal 

 characters RvüEU (48. ]). 193) makes the following, not very fortunate, addition: "Opercle a 

 simple plate." On p. 196 he says regarding Hippocampus: "There appear to be no mesial 

 hyal elements at all, which also seems to be the case with the adult, the medial skeletal 

 elements of the tongue being suppressed." Further he (correctly) adds that the lower mesial 

 elements of the branchial skeleton also appear to be absent. 



POLiCHET i42) in describing the development of the head skeleton in Syiuinalhits found 

 3 branchiostegal rays very early present. Hegarding the adult structures so very little is 

 mentioned that it is impossible to make out, how far P. had a tolerably complete or correct 

 acquaintance with their peculiarities, p. 83 he says: "Chez l'adulte, quand on cherche à 

 séparer par les procédés ordinaires, macération, cuisson, etc., le symplectique du jugal (i. e. 

 the quadrate) la branche cartilagineuse se brise et son extrémité reste adhérente au jugal, 

 dans lequel elle est fortement engagée. De façon que le cartilage qui constituait le temporal 

 primordial ( i. e. the cartilaginous rod representing the hyo)uandibular the sym|)lectic), se 

 retrouve ici dans trois os chez l'adulte: 1" le temporal li. e. hyomandibidar); 2^ le symplec- 

 tique; 3" le jugal." However correct this statement in itself will be found to be, it may still 

 be open to doubt, if P. has really been acquainted with the peculiar shape and connections 

 of the symplectic in the adult. 



E. MoREAi' (36, p. 29) describing the head of the Si/nç/nathida' says: "La bouche est à 

 l'extrémité d"un tube dont les parois sont constituées en bas par une aponévrose et les inter- 

 opercules, latéralement par l'appareil tympanique, en dessus par les plérygoïdiens, les pala- 

 tins et le vomer La mâchoire supérieure est formée par les intermaxillaires très-grcles, 



très-courts, débordés en dehors par les maxillaires qui se terminent en une sorte de palette 

 élargie. La mâchoire inférieure est constituée, dune façon normale, par trois os, le dentaire, 

 l'articulaire et l'angulaire; elle est articulée avec l'appareil tympanique composé par ses 

 quatre osselets. " 



Here we meet for the first time with the correct statement that the mandible is com- 

 posed of three pieces as usual; but unfortunately M. does not enter into an analysis of the 

 suspensory parts. In saying, however, that the latter is composed of "its four bones", he 

 shows that he cannot be quite right. Where 4 bones arc present, these always are the hyo- 

 mandibular, symplectic, quadrate and metapterygoid. But the latter is absent here; probably 

 the infraorbitals, which M. nowhere mentions, have been taken among the suspensory bones. 

 Under the "Appareil branchial" M. further (p. 30) mentions the operculum, suboperculuni and 

 interoperculum, but he slates wrongly: "il n'y a pas de préopercule."" He describes the hyoid 

 (without mentioning its composition of pieces), carrying "two or three" branchiostegal rays, 

 and an elongated urohyal ("sous-hyoidien"). 



R!(; .Muiuii'cH (34) has given a careful and in several points correct description of the 

 head-skeleton in Sijngnathus peckiaims; it is partly supported on transverse sections, and due 

 attention is paid to the cartilaginous parts of the developing young and of those preserved 

 in the adult ; furthermore this account is illustrated with figures. On p. 626 he describes the 

 adult cranium. He has correctly seen that the orbitosphenoid.s, basisphenoid and nasals are 

 w.nnting The opiotics he takes to represent the i)arietals, but he seems to be inclined to 



