REV. S. GRAHAM BIRKS ON MEGALICHTHYS 307 



Megalichthys : a Study incorporating the Results of Work 

 on previously undescribed Material. 



By the Rev. S. Graham Birks, M.Sc. (Victoria University 

 of Manchester). 



Part I. 



Description of some New Material for a Study 

 of the Genus. 



Professor Miall in his " Description of the Remains of 

 Megalichthys in the Leeds Museum " gave some historical 

 account of the genus, together with a condensed translation of 

 the remarks of Agassiz with emendations. The examination 

 of additional material enables the author of the present paper 

 to place some additional facts on record. 



In the Museum of the Natural History Society of 

 Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne (the 

 Hancock Museum, Barras Bridge) is to be found the Atthey 

 Collection, presented by Lady Armstrong. This splendid 

 collection includes a large number of fossil fish remains found 

 in the Black Shale above the Low Main Seam at Newsham 

 Colliery. The remains of Megalichthys in this collection are 

 important and numerous. 



(* The numbers in this paper followed by asterisks refer to 

 specimens from Newsham.) 



Megalichthys pygmaeus : B17*. (Plate XII., fig. i). 



A very interesting specimen in the Atthey collection is 

 numbered B17*. This is labelled as Megalichthys hibberti 

 and shews a large part of the fish and so gives a general 

 idea of its size and shape. The pectoral fins are indistinctly 

 indicated, and one of the pelvic fins, possibly both, are even 

 less distinctly seen. The punctation of the scales is un- 



