British Upper-Jwassic Fish-remains. 399 



far as the present writer is aware, however, only a single 

 specimen ot Caturus from Garsington exists ; and as this 

 exhibits the two special features noted by Agassiz, while 

 wanting the head on which he would assuredly have remarked 

 had it been present, it may be regarded with tolerable certainty 

 as the type specimen on which C. angustus was intended to 

 be founded. The fossil in question is in the museum of the 

 Victoria Institute, Worcester, and bears an old label as 

 follows, the specific name being apparently in the late Sir 

 Philip Egerton's handwriting: — ^^ Caturus angustus. Oolite, 

 Garzington Hill, Oxon. From Revd. W. Parker." The 

 present writer is indebted to the courtesy of the Museum 

 Committee and of the Curator, Mr. kSamuel 8mith, for the 

 opportunity of studying the specimen and of publishing the 

 following description. 



The head, with the anterior portion of the abdominal region, 

 is wanting, but the remainder of tlie fish is well-preserved, as 

 shown in PI. XVIII. fig. 1, which is one half the natural 

 size. Tiie trunk is remarkably elongated, hence the specitic 

 name ; and the caudal tin is especially large. The notochord, 

 as usual, must have been persistent, and there are no indica- 

 tions of ossifications in its sheath. The ribs and neural 

 spines in the abdominal region are comparatively slender ; 

 the neural and heemal arches in the caudal region are stout, 

 the pedicles being much expanded and the spines becoming 

 rapidly shortened in the narrow portion behind the origin of 

 the anal fin, where they are deeply imbricating. The 

 pectoral fins are, of course, wanting; but all the others 

 display a conspicuous fringe of fulcra on their anterior border. 

 Tlie fin-rays, though unjointed for some extent proximally, 

 exhibit numerous articulations and bifurcations in their distal 

 half or two thirds ; and the distance between the successive 

 articulations is usually much greater than the width of the 

 ray or branch on wliich they occur. The pelvic fins arise 

 opposite the origin of the dorsal fin, and are about equal in 

 size to the anal j the anterior ray bearing the fulcra is espe- 

 cially robust. There are indications of a series of aborted 

 fin-supports in advance of the dorsal, and this fin is about as 

 long as deep, comprising not less than eighteen or twenty rays ; 

 there are two sliort rays in advance of the longest, of which 

 the length appears to be nearly equal to the depth of the 

 trunk at its insertion. The anal fin arises midway between 

 the jiclvic pair and the caudal, is dee])er tliau long, and about 

 two thirds as largo as tiie dorsal fin; the number of rays 

 cannot be satisfactorily counted, but there must have been at 

 least twelve. The large caudal fin arises from a much con- 



