Eastman: Tertiary Fish-Remains. 371 



Although dissociated parts of fish skeletons are presenl in con- 

 siderable abundance in the fragmentary blocks of shale which make 

 up the collection, and the appearance ol these detached parts suggests 

 thai the remains haye been subjected to a moderate amounl of current 

 action prior to fossiliza'tion, yet the number of species represented 

 riol exceed three or four, and even the best preserved individuals 

 are far from being complete. Nevertheless, the Clupeoid nature of 

 of the remain- is easily recognizable, and in the case of the 

 largest and best preserved species it is possible to work out nearly the 

 entire structural organization by combining the data derived from a 

 study of several individuals whose parts fortunately supplement one 

 another. 



Scanty as these newly discovered remains are, their bearing upon 

 broad philosophical problems, such as the origin of modern fresh- 

 water faunas on either side of the Atlantic, conditions affecting dis- 

 tribution in times past, and the theory of a former land connection 

 between tropical America and Africa, is of prime importance. This 

 must necessarily be so by virtue of their being the first indication yet 

 reported of a post-Triassic fish-fauna in tropical or South Africa. We 

 cannot forbear to note that only a few years ago, in 1905, our want of 

 knowledge on such matters drew from Dr. Boulenger the following 

 remarks: " It remains a matter for serious regret that we should still be 

 without any information as to the precursors of the African fishes. 

 In spite of diligent search over a considerable portion of the great 

 continent, no remains of any post-Triassic fishes have yet been 

 discovered in Tropical and South Africa, and our acquaintance with 

 Tertiary Teleosts generally is still almost as scanty and fragmentary as 

 it was twenty years ago, although much has been done by Dr. Smith 

 Woodward in elucidating the affinities of such remains as have been 

 exhumed. I'nder the circumstances we have to fall back on our 

 imagination to explain the fauna, and much hazardous speculation 

 has been indulged in." 2 



The species of fossil Teleosts in Mr. Good's collection which lends 

 itself most readily to examination is evidently new to science, and 

 belongs to the genus Diplomystus. It is described in the following 

 pages under the appellation of D. goodi, the writer having pleasure in 

 naming it at the suggestion of Dr. W. J. Holland in honor of the 



! Boulenger, G. A., The Distribution of African Fresh-water Fishes. Presidential 

 Address, Rept. Brit. Assoc. Adv. Sci., South African Meeting, 1905. 



