Heviews — A. S. Woodward's Catalogue of Fossil Fishes. 129 



absolutely disappear ; but whether the more advanced position of 

 the dorsal fin in some cases than in others is also to be considered as 

 a mark of specialization requires further consideration. 



The Platysomidee, which Mr, Woodward calls " Platysomatidas " 

 finish the volume, and are handled with the same care which 

 characterizes the whole of the work. Of Dorypterits the author 

 remarks that it is "here regarded as a highly specialized ally of the 

 family destitute of squamation on the flanks." In this he is un- 

 doubtedly right, but it is much to be regretted that, owing to the 

 great rarity of this remarkable fish, nothing definite is as yet known 

 of its cranial structure. 



It would be impossible within the limits of a review to enter into 

 questions as to the retention or i-ejection of various genera and 

 species. As regards the fishes of the Scotch Old Red Sandstone I 

 am. however, pleased to find that Mr. Woodward acquiesces in the 

 extensive slaughter of pseudo-species which I proposed in this 

 Magazine a little more than two years ago. These and other things 

 too can only be discussed by the writers of future memoirs dealing 

 specially with the matters concerned. 



A word now as to nomenclature. I am sorry to see that Mr. 

 Woodward adheres to the present fashionable craze of writing all 

 specific names with a small initial letter, even when they represent 

 the names of persons. It is really no compliment to any one to 

 have a species called after him, if he is to find his name spelt in so 

 grotesque a fashion. 



Mr. Woodward, instead of the classically correct, but decidedly 

 cacophonic " Osteolepididse " and " Asterolepididje," uses " Osteo- 

 lepidfe" and "Asterolepidee" — "from the point of view of euphony." 

 Why then, instead of " Platj^somidse," does he write " Platy- 

 somatidge," which sounds nearly equally badly, while the change 

 seems to me more than wholly uncalled for ? It is true that cnojua, 

 a body, has for its genitive o-w/iaro?, but the name of the type genus 

 of this family is not " Flatysoma" but Flatysomus, and though 

 Agassiz in compounding this name used two Greek words, the 

 latter of which was a neuter substantive, he made out of them, as 

 he was quite entitled to do, a new Latin masculine word, and there- 

 fore " Platysomidee " is perfectly correct. 



On the same principle I devised some new generic names such as 

 MicrobracJiius, Eiictenius, Cynopodius, and I am curious to know why 

 Mr. Woodward has altered the first of these into " MicrohracMum.'' 

 If it is because the Latin for " arm " is hrachium and the Greek 

 /3paxi(iou, then surely to be consistent he ought to write not only 

 Platysoma, but also Gyracantha, GrapMura and Amblypterum 1 for 

 certainly in my Greek dictionary the words for thorn, tail, and wing, 

 respectively, are ?} uKavOa, tj ovpa, and to inepov. 



The sixteen lithographic plates are from the accomplished pencil 

 of Miss G. M. Woodward, and it is impossible to speak in too high 

 terms of their excellence as well as works of art as illustrations of 

 scientific fact. 



K. H. Tkaquair. 



DECAUB III. TOL. Till. NO. III. 9 



