FOSSIL FISH. 431 



tongue. Sir Hans Sloane, in a paper in the Philosophical 

 Transactions^ was the first who compared these fossils with the 

 palatine teeth of Rata aquila. 



The chevron -formed teeth are found, in a fossil state, in the 

 marly strata of Placenza, and sometimes in calcareous rocks, 

 as in the mountain of Antelaus in the department of the Piave, 

 where there is a great quantity of them incorporated in the 

 stone, either isolated, or sometimes united three or four toge- 

 ther. These fossil teeth are considered, by M. de Blainville, 

 as probably having belonged to a ray, approximating to the 

 Narinari of Marcgrave. 



The spines, which arm the tails of some of this genus, have 

 also been found in different localities, and in sufficient abun- 

 dance, in this country. 



Under the name of bufonites, or batrachites, we find figured, 

 in the works of some oryctologists, a great number of fossil 

 bodies, more or less rounded and shining, which are evidently 

 portions of the teeth, or dentary palates of fishes. The above 

 names were given, because it was imagined, for some reason 

 not easily conceived, that they were engendered in the heads 

 of toads or frogs. The substance, which most usually contains 

 them, seems to be the compact limestone ; which would lead 

 us to conclude that they belong to tolerably ancient formations. 

 The species from which they come are very far indeed from 

 being determined. 



Many other parts of fishes have been found in different places 

 and at different depths, but the examination of them is not 

 likely ever to lead to any important results, either geological 

 or zoological. 



