2G2 Dr. K. II. Tiaijuair on Fossil Fishes 



The principal characters of the genus may be sumnied up as 

 below : — 



NematoptychiUkS, TrAq., = Pygopter us, Ag.,partini. 



Body slender ; head large, with bluntly pointed projecting 

 muzzle ; orbit tar forward ; gape very wide, with powerfully 

 developed jaws ; operculum ratlier small. Dentition power- 

 fully developed ; teeth of two principal sizes, acutely conical, 

 and enamcl-tij)ped. Pectoral and ventral fins moderate ; rays 

 of the pectoral articulated ; dorsal and anal tins nearly equal, 

 large, triangular ; dorsal situated nearly oj)positethe anal ; tail 

 completely heterocercal ; tin-fulcra small. Scales very peculiar 

 in form ; those of the flanks much higher than long, with a flat 

 triangular articular process arising from the whole, or nearly 

 the whole, upper margin ; anterior-superior and posterior- 

 inferior angles of the exposed face of the scale obtuse ; orna- 

 ment consisting of fine closely set thread-like ridges. 



Nematojitychius Greenoclcii, Ag., sp. — The only species of 

 the genus, and as yet only obtained from the Scottish Carboni- 

 ferous strata. 



For further details as to the general configuration and struc- 

 ture of this fish, including the osteology of the head, I must 

 refer the reader to my previously quoted memoir in the 'Trans- 

 actions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.' 



II. Wardichthys cyclosovia, gen. et sp. nov. 



This little fish, in my own collection, is contained in a nodule 

 of clay ironstone from the shales at Wardie, and was found on 

 the beach there, about fifteen years ago. It is entire, with the 

 exception of the tail, which is unfortunately wanting. The 

 body, including the head, measures 3 inches in length by 2$ at 

 its greatest depth, and is remarkable for its nearly circular 

 outline, and especially for the highly arched contour of the back, 

 the ventral margin being much less curved. Fig. 1, PI. XVI., 

 represents the " counterpart " or impression of the specimen, 

 which, however, will convey a better idea of the form of the 

 fish than the other half of the nodule, as from the latter a 

 little bit of the back unfortunately splintered off and was lost 

 in the act of splitting it o])en. 



The head equals about ] the total length, without the tail ; 

 it is a little crushed over towards the right side, and a good deal 

 of displacement seems to have taken })lace with the facial bones, 

 only a few of which are recognizable. The cranium pro})er is 

 short, the snout blunt and rounded as in Mcsolrj^is ; and the 



