Reviews — M. Cossmann — Eocene Mollnsca. 275 



Society's volume for 1894. The three remaining species are 

 known only by fragments, but seem to be new to the locality, 

 if not entirely new. Some detached scales (one figured) are 

 identified with Holoptychius decoratus, Eichwald, sp., from Wenden, 

 Livonia. Imperfect Khizodont jaws are described and figured as 

 Polyplocodus leptognathns, sp. nov. ; while the anterior median 

 ventral plate of a large Coccostean is regarded as indicating 

 a new species, Coccosteus magnus. The species from the Elgin 

 district are more numerous and more interesting. The curious 

 Elasmobranch armour-plates described nearly two years ago as 

 Psammosteus Taylori, are treated in detail, and Dr. Traquair 

 incidentally gives the new generic name, Turinia, to the Cephalo- 

 pterin of Powrie (preoccupied 1809) from the Lower Old Red 

 Sandstone of Turin Hill, Forfar. There are further valuable notes 

 on the Elasmobranch spine, Cosmacanthus Malcolmsoni, which proves 

 to be a paired spine, not bilaterally symmetrical as supposed by 

 Agassiz. A restored outline of Bothriolepis major is given, and 

 this is described as the largest known Asterolepid, the total length 

 of the armour being sometimes probably not less than a foot and 

 a half. Three portions of armour from Rosebrae Quarry, near 

 Elgin, are regarded as indicating another species, Bothriolepis 

 cristata, sp. nov., distinguished by an elevated crest on its dorsal 

 surface. Phyllolepis concentrica, Conchodus ostreiformis, and Holo- 

 ptychius nobilissimus are merely recorded ; but a figure of Holo- 

 ptychius Flemingi (from Dura Den, Fifeshire) is added to complete 

 the series of restorations. Holoptychius gig aniens is believed 

 to claim many detached teeth besides the characteristic scales. 

 Fragments of jaws seem to belong to Polyplocodus ; and a brief 

 reference to Glyptopomus minor concludes the enumeration. 



We hope this is only the forerunner of a more extensive work 

 on the Palaeozoic Fishes of Scotland, which would summarize the 

 results of Dr. Traquair's numerous papers, and make them more 

 readily accessible to non-specialists. Most geological and biological 

 handbooks still display lamentable ignorance of the subject, and 

 a general treatise like the present would do much towards en- 

 lightenment. A. S. W. 



II. MoLLUSQUES EOCENIQUES DE LA LoIRE-InFERIEURE. By M. 



Cossmann. (Bull. Soc. Sci. Nat. Ouest France, 1895, Tome V, 

 pp. 159-197, Plates v-vii, Fascicule 1.) 



[T COSSMANN, who undoubtedly ranks as the leading Tertiary 

 Malacologist of France, is preparing a Monograph of the 

 Eocene Molluscan fauna of Brittany, the first part of which is 

 now before us. The majority of the shells have been obtained 

 from special excavations made at Bois-Gouet, in the Saffre Basin, 

 under the direction of M. Dumas; others have been collected at 

 Coislin and La Close, near Camphon ; whilst the remainder come 

 from the dolomitic district of Arthon. These different localities, 

 situated in the department of La Loire-Inferieure, have yielded 

 a number of new species as well as all those listed in Vasseur's 



