﻿1864.] 
  KIKKBY 
  PERMIAN 
  FISH 
  AND 
  PLANTS. 
  353 
  

  

  Germar, 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  see 
  either 
  figures 
  or 
  

   specimens 
  that 
  may 
  possibly 
  approach 
  more 
  nearly 
  than 
  those 
  I 
  

   have 
  just 
  noticed. 
  For 
  these 
  reasons 
  it 
  only 
  seems 
  judicious 
  to 
  

   refrain 
  from 
  attaching 
  a 
  specific 
  name 
  to 
  this 
  species, 
  it 
  being 
  

   at 
  the 
  least 
  possible 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  ultimately 
  prove 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  

   these 
  last-mentioned 
  forms. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  species 
  has 
  occurred 
  in 
  the 
  Fish-bed, 
  in 
  the 
  Grey 
  

   Stone 
  overlying, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Dun 
  Stone 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  Quarry 
  at 
  

   Fulwell 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  a 
  single 
  example 
  from 
  the 
  Fish-bed 
  in 
  

   the 
  Old 
  Quarry 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  place. 
  

  

  Family 
  2. 
  Lepidoidei. 
  

  

  Pal^soniscus 
  varians, 
  Kirkby. 
  PL 
  XYIII. 
  fig. 
  2. 
  

   Annals 
  of 
  Nat. 
  Hist. 
  3 
  ser. 
  vol. 
  ix. 
  p. 
  267. 
  

  

  The 
  maximum 
  length 
  of 
  this 
  Fish 
  is 
  from 
  3| 
  to 
  4 
  inches. 
  It 
  

   usually 
  occurs 
  much 
  less, 
  often 
  being 
  only 
  1| 
  inch 
  long. 
  Its 
  maxi- 
  

   mum 
  breadth 
  is 
  about 
  an 
  inch 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  point 
  subject 
  to 
  much 
  

   variation, 
  the 
  breadth 
  of 
  some 
  specimens 
  being 
  one-third 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  

   length, 
  and 
  of 
  others 
  only 
  one-fifth. 
  The 
  body 
  continues 
  of 
  similar 
  

   width 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  dorsal 
  and 
  ventral 
  fins 
  ; 
  it 
  then 
  contracts 
  somewhat 
  

   rapidly 
  to 
  half 
  the 
  maximum 
  width. 
  The 
  head 
  varies 
  in 
  length 
  from 
  

   one-third 
  to 
  two-sevenths 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  length, 
  and 
  its 
  breadth 
  is 
  

   usually 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  greatest 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  The 
  tail 
  is 
  

   moderately 
  but 
  decidedly 
  heterocercal. 
  

  

  The 
  fins 
  are 
  of 
  median 
  size. 
  The 
  pectoral, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  half 
  an 
  

   inch 
  long 
  in 
  mature 
  examples, 
  and 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  

   and 
  median 
  thirds 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  consists 
  of 
  from 
  18 
  to 
  20 
  slender 
  

   rays, 
  with 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  short 
  but 
  strong 
  spine-like 
  rays 
  in 
  front. 
  

   The 
  ventrals 
  are 
  about 
  y 
  1 
  -^ 
  inch 
  shorter 
  than 
  the 
  pectorals, 
  and 
  

   placed 
  1-| 
  inch 
  from 
  the 
  snout 
  ; 
  the 
  rays 
  are 
  also 
  less 
  in 
  number, 
  

   though 
  stouter, 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  pectorals. 
  The 
  anal 
  is 
  2 
  T 
  ^- 
  inches 
  

   from 
  the 
  snout, 
  or 
  T 
  9 
  ^ 
  inch 
  behind 
  the 
  ventrals 
  ; 
  it 
  numbers 
  from 
  

   8 
  to 
  10 
  jointed 
  rays, 
  which 
  are 
  stronger 
  and 
  longer 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  ventrals. 
  The 
  dorsal 
  is 
  placed 
  about 
  midway 
  between 
  the 
  ven- 
  

   trals 
  and 
  the 
  anal, 
  or 
  two 
  inches 
  from 
  the 
  snout 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  larger 
  than 
  

   the 
  anal, 
  being 
  || 
  inch 
  long, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  12 
  jointed 
  rays 
  of 
  

   similar 
  strength 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  anal. 
  In 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  longest 
  

   rays 
  of 
  the 
  anal 
  and 
  dorsal 
  are 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  short, 
  pointed, 
  unarti- 
  

   culated 
  rays 
  ; 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  similar 
  rays 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  

   ventrals. 
  The 
  first 
  segment 
  of 
  the 
  articulate 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  anal 
  and 
  

   dorsal 
  is 
  much 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  succeeding 
  segments 
  — 
  the 
  succeeding 
  

   segments 
  being 
  only 
  about 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  wide. 
  Each 
  ray 
  is 
  covered 
  by 
  

   long 
  unsegmented 
  scales, 
  which 
  usually 
  hide 
  from 
  view 
  the 
  ray- 
  

   structure. 
  The 
  front 
  margin 
  of 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  fins 
  is 
  protected 
  by 
  

   sharply 
  pointed, 
  linear 
  fulcral 
  scales. 
  The 
  caudal 
  is 
  of 
  moderate 
  size 
  

   and 
  slightly 
  forked, 
  spreading 
  out 
  gently 
  from 
  a 
  base 
  half 
  as 
  wide 
  as 
  

   the 
  maximum 
  breadth 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  to 
  fully 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  that 
  

   breadch; 
  it 
  is 
  formed 
  of 
  17 
  or 
  18 
  rays, 
  as 
  strong 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   dorsal 
  and 
  anal, 
  and 
  the 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  lobe 
  are, 
  of 
  course, 
  the 
  

  

  