810 J. W. Jaclison — Carboniferous Fish-reniaina. 



and obtained other examples. The quarry is evidently that from 

 which Mr. T. Parker, of Oldham, obtained the larjje series described 

 by Mr. J. W. Davis in the Geological Magazine, 1886, p. 148. 



The majority of the teeth are free from matrix, having been 

 carefully broken out. They are, however, veiy much rolled and 

 abraded, which rendered their ready identification a very difficult 

 matter, and I have to thank Dr. A. Smith Woodward for his kindness 

 in helping me to name most of them. 



By far the greater number belong to Psepliodus magnus (M'Coy), 

 and consist largely of thick dental plates of moderate size with the 

 outer border slightly inrolled, some specimens exhibiting strong 

 vertical plications on the sides of the crown. The lateral margins 

 of some individuals are cleft at one or both sides. Along with the 

 larger teeth are a number of small narrow oblong specimens with one 

 end usually wider than the other, the middle being slightly wider 

 than the widest end. The surface is polished and quite smooth, and 

 there is no osseous base attached. Some of the specimens have the 

 sides of the crown strongi}- plicated vertically. These smaller teeth 

 appear to agree with the so-called Helodus pimius, L. Agassiz. 



Fsammodiis riigosus, Agassiz, is represented by several more or less 

 worn and broken crowns, the largest being If inches in breadth and 

 the portion of the length remaining measures If inches. Amongst 

 the numerous specimens from this quariy are a few examples of 

 a species not hitherto recorded from this part of Derbyshire, viz'. 

 Petalodiis acuminatus, Agassiz. It is given as "rare in the Carboni- 

 ferous Limestone of Derbyshire" in M'Coy's "British Palceozoie 

 Fossils," but no locality is stated. In the " British Museum Catalogue 

 of Fossil Fishes," pt. i, p. 43, several references are made to its 

 occurrence at Ticknall, South Derbyshire. 



The examples from the Sparrowpit locality are very fragmentary 

 and of small size, and are difficult to extract from the matrix. 

 Along with the various teeth, and free from matrix, were one or two 

 fragments of bone-like tissue which Dr. Woodward kindly identified 

 as selachian cartilage. Some facts about the quarry and matrix are 

 worth noting. As mentioned by Davis, the matrix is a "light-coloured 

 crystalline limestone," but further than this it is found on close 

 examination to be a conglomerate of small round and oval pebbles and 

 comminuted shells, a point unobserved by Davis. Messrs. Barnes & 

 Holroyd, in their very excellent papers^ "On the Occurrence of 

 a Sea-beach at Castleton, Derbyshire," note this fact and say that 

 in the beds at Bolt Edge quarry, Sparrowpit, the pebbles are very 

 much smaller than those at Castleton. They also put forward the 

 question as to whether the numerous cestraciont fishes, the teeth- 

 remains of which are very common at Bolt Edge, played any part in 

 reducing the shells to smaller fragments. This, of course, is highly 

 probable, but in my opinion the fish-teeth have also been thrown up 

 on the old sea-beach, judging from their numbers and their rolled and 

 abraded condition. 



1 Trans. Manch. Geol. Soc, vol. xxv, p. 119. See also vol. xxv, p. 181 ; vol. xxvi 

 p. 466 ; vol. xxvii, p. 82. 



