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Fishes are frequently found in a mineralized state in 

 this island : their fossil remains have been found in a variety 

 of situations, sufficient to warrant the conjecture that they 

 were among those animals which were of the earliest 

 creation, and whose existence has not been since inter- 

 rupted. 



It does not appear that any skeletons or any connected 

 remains of fish have been found in the mountain limestone ; 

 sufficient detached parts have, however, been discovered to 

 prove that fish existed in the waters by which this formation 

 was deposited. The most interesting of these are the fossil 

 remains which seem to be referrible to the spinous radii of 

 some species of batistes ; or of some other genus which was 

 armed with dentated radii, accompanying, or being in the 

 place of fins.* 



Another fossil which appears to have been obtained from 

 this early formation, bears a considerable agreement with 

 the sword of the xiphias : the fossil alluded to is round and 

 tapering, but has been broken at the smaller end before 

 either of these maxillary processes had terminated. Two 

 species of xiphias have been described : in one, the elon- 

 gated jaws or beaks are of a flattish form ; in the other, to 

 which the name makaira is considered as most applicable, 

 the beaks form a long, round, tapering weapon : it is. with 

 this latter species alone that the fossil referred to should be 

 compared. But although it was thought right to mention 

 this fossil as probably belonging to the mountain limestone, 

 it is by no means meant to contend for its claim to this 

 locality, since it has not the decided evidence of an ad- 

 herent matrix. 



The remains of fish are much more frequently found in 

 the strata of the lias formation. They have been figured 



* I am indebted for an interesting fossil of this kind to the 

 Rev. Mr. Hallifax. 



