Davis—On the Fossil Fishes of the Chalk of Mount Lebanon. 625 
Anguilla sahel-alme, Davis. 
(Plax; fic. 25) 
A number of examples of fishes from the soft chalk of Sahel Alma are referred 
to this genus. The average length is about 7 inches, and the height 0:5 inch. 
The head occupies 1:2 inch; an extremely fine dorsal fin appears to have extended 
from a point immediately behind the occipital region of the head, the whole length 
of the back, and to have completely encircled the tail, which is diphycercal and 
undivided, and thence extended 1°5 inch forwards along the median ventral 
surface. There are a pair of pectoral fins and also ventrals. 
The head is elongated and flattened towards the snout; the jaws well rounded 
anteriorly and somewhat widely expanded posteriorly ; gape wide, extending 
backwards to the centre of the orbit. The maxilla was armed with a series of 
comparatively long, slightly curved, sharply-pointed teeth; the mandibles were, 
in all probability, similarly armed, but the teeth are not exposed on any of the 
specimens. The orbit is moderately large, situated midway between the snout 
and the posterior margin of the opercular bones; it is very high, leaving a narrow 
space to be occupied by the cranial bones. The opercular bones are large, their 
components are not clearly shown ; there is a large plate, well rounded posteriorly, 
extending high towards the occipital region, and with a concave anterior margin, 
probably the operculum ; a triangular plate of smaller dimensions is attached to 
the lower margin of the operculum, and apparently extends slightly beyond it 
posteriorly. The infra-orbital region is large; the branchiostegal rays are 
exposed, apparently twelve to fifteen in number, long, slender, and curved 
backwards. 
The vertebral column is composed of about seventy-six vertebrae, each vertebrze 
somewhat longer than high, with bi-concave centres widely expanded, whilst the 
median portion is much constricted. The vertebrae occupying a position one-third 
the length of the fish from the caudal extremity are strongest and largest, and 
appear to indicate the extent of the caudal portion of the vertebral column. 
Numerous ribs are attached to the anterior vertebrae; they are long and slender, 
extending quite to the ventral surface, and are further supported by false ribs, 
extending backwards with a sharp curvature, bringing them parallel for some 
distance with the vertebral column. The extent of the cesophageal cavity is 
indicated by the presence of smaller fishes which have been devoured. In one 
specimen two, if not three, fishes are thus entombed, and occupy nearly one-half 
the length of the body. Numerous hemal apophyses extend from the vertebral 
column beyond the region occupied by the ribs and support the anal and caudal 
fins. Neural spines ascend from the upper surface of the column, and interneural 
spines connect them with the rays of the long dorsal fins. 
