418 FOSSIL FISH. 



vation than the last, and especially more resembles the living 

 species to which it has been compared, some differences are, 

 nevertheless, observable ; thus the body is less elevated, pro- 

 portionably ; the dorsal and anal fms are larger, and instead of 

 being concave at their posterior edge, they are very convex ; 

 the ventral fins too, admitting them to be entire, which is very 

 probable, are much shorter, since they do not reach to the 

 anus ; whereas, in C. Vespertilio, they proceed considerably 

 beyond it. The figure is excellent, 



C. substriatus, De Blain. ; C. striatus, Icht. Ver. ; and 

 C aspeTf ibid. M. de Blainville regards these two incomplete 

 fossils, as belonging to one and the same species, and as pre- 

 senting characters distinguishable from C. striatus. Without 

 speaking of the proportional height which is visibly less, the 

 form of the head, and especially that of the muzzle, are 

 totally different. 



C. subarcuatus, De Blain. ; C. arcuatus, Volta. A skele- 

 ton, as complete as if it proceeded from the hands of a good 

 preparer, coming from a species evidently approximating to 

 C. arcuatus, but distinguishable from it by a very sufficient 

 number of characters : thus, the front-head is formed by a 

 curve line, but perfectly even ; whereas, in arcifca^its, there is 

 a very sensible boss over the eyes. Although the dorsal and 

 anal fins are very much alike, yet they both present the very 

 singular character of being, as it were, divided into two, pretty 

 nearly towards the middle : still, the last ray of each part is not 

 much more prolonged than the others, though it is so in 

 arcuatus ; and the longest ray of the anal is the last of its first 

 part, while in arcuatus it is the first. Finally, the pectoral 

 and ventral fins are much longer in the arcuatus than in the 

 fossil. 



C. ArguSf Icht. Ver. The identity of this species with the 

 fine ichthyolite, figured by Volta, is much more difficult to 

 deny than the preceding, if we except the little difference of 

 the body being at least as much elevated in front of the pedicle 



