SEWARD: A NEW BRITISH CARBONIFEROUS FOSSIL. 239 
Philippi; the egg-capsule of this species is figured by Dr. Giinther* 
and also by McCoy, and it must be admitted that the two spirally 
wound eahiahsir cas expansions and the e tapered extremity suggest a 
fairly close connection with the fossil specimens. An examination 
of the egg-membrane of this recent shark reveals the existence of 
certain points of difference which should be taken into account. 
ig. 4 represents an egg of Cestracion philippi, one-third natural 
size, reduced from Giinther’s figure. In the first place the Cestracion 
egg is tapered towards one end, but gradually broadens towards the 
opposite end ; the membranous wing is entire, and there are no signs of 
any scars or small spine-like appendages such as occur on the speci- 
mens of Fayolia. How far such differences as these may be looked 
upon as a fatal objection to the inclusion of Fayo/ia among the eggs 
of fossil fishes is difficult to determine. Although many writers seem 
to have decided on the animal nature of these peculiar fossils, it 
should be recognised that so eminent an authority as Dr. Giinther, 
who was good enough to examine the English specimen, does not 
feel able to accept Fayolia as the egg of a Paleozoic fish. 
It would be somewhat premature to consider as settled the 
systematic position of Aayolia, but it would appear that there is no 
other organism, or part of an organism, whether animal or vegetable, 
which offers so close a resemblance to the fossil species as the 
winged egg-membrane of Cestracion. It is a remarkable fact that we 
h 
preservation in sedimentary strata, and it might reasonably be 
expected that similar egg-cases of Paleozoic species should occasion- 
ally occur in ancient sediments. If we finally decide to accept 
Spirangium and Fayolia as special forms of egg-capsules, we can 
better understand the almost complete absence of records of fossil 
eggs in paleontological literature. 
Reference has already been made in this paper to some doubtful 
spirally marked fossils described by Newberryt and Lester Ward§ 
om America. Newberry’s specimens were discovered in the 
Devonian Sandstones of the Chemung group in North Pennsylvania 
and New York State; the genus Sfiraxis was instituted for their 
reception and thus defined | :—‘ Body cylindrical, or subfusiform, 
somewhat abruptly conical above, more gradually tapering below ; 
surface traversed by two parallel revolving spiral ridges, in some 
“* The Study of Fishes, 1880, p. 168, fig. 80. 
+Prodr. Zool. Victoria, Dec. xii., 1886, p. 55. 
+ Ann. New York Acad. Sci., vol. iii. 1885, p- 217. PI. xviii. figs. 1-3. 
§ U.S. Geol. Surv. Annual Report, vi. 1885, p. 405. Pl. xxxi. fig. 3. 
August 1894. 
