186 Notices of Memoirs — By Prof. C. H. Hitchcock, 



III — .New Carboniferous Keptiles and Fishes from Ohio, 

 Kentucky, and Illinois. 



(Communicated by Professor C. H. Hitchcock, of Lafayette College ; Geologist to 

 to the State of Maine, etc.) 



AT the late meeting of the American Association for the advance- 

 ment of Science, Professor J. S. Newberry exhibited and 

 described specimens of reptiles and fishes from the Cannel 

 stratum beneath the principal coal bed at Linton, Ohio ; fishes 

 from the Coal Measures of Illinois, collected by the State Geologist; 

 and fishes from bituminous shale in the Waverly group, 125 feet 

 above its base at Vanceburg, Ky., collected by Dr. Patterson. Of 

 these the first series included Banicejos Lyelli, Wyman, and others 

 undescribed, partly related to Prof. Huxley's new genera Ophider- 

 peton and Urocordylus. Twenty species of fish accompanied these 

 reptiles, among which are eight species of Eurylepis, Newb., small 

 Lepidoids allied to Palceoniscus, distinguished by having the scales 

 of the sides much broader than long. The scales on several of the 

 species are very highly ornamented. These specimens were gilded 

 by iron pyrites. Some specimens of CoelacantJius — two species — 

 indicated the presence of a supplementary caudal fin, as in Undina. 



This is an interesting fact, confirmatory of Huxley's view of the 

 relations of Undina, Macropoma, and Coel acanthus. The numerous 

 and very complete specimens of CoelacantJius, exhibited supply much 

 that was wanting to a perfect knowledge of the anatomy of the genus. 

 The bones of the head are similar in form to those oi Macropoma, highly 

 ornamented with tubercles above and thread-like lines below. The 

 jugular plates are double, and oblong-elliptical in outline, as in 

 Undina and Macropoma. The position and form of the fins is the 

 same as in Undina, but the anterior dorsal is stronger. The fins 

 are supported on palmated interspinous bones, similar to those of 

 the other genera of the family. The paired fins are slightly lobed ; 

 the supplemental caudal has been referred to. The scales are orna- 

 mented with curved and converging raised lines. In many specimens 

 the otolites are distinctly visible. 



Besides the fishes found at Linton already enumerated, there are 

 scales and teeth of two species of Rhizodus — one at least of which 

 (jB. angustus) has teeth of two forms, the one large and flattened, the 

 other smaller, more numerous, slender, striated, and conical, with a 

 circular section throughout : two species of Diplodns, consisting of 

 bony base and enamelled crown, the latter distinctly and beautifully 

 serrated — so that there can scarcely be a question that they were 

 teeth, and not as claimed by Mr. Atthey, of Newcastle, England, 

 to be dermal tubercles. There are also examples of Palceoniscus 

 scutigerus, Newb., one species of Pygopterus, one of Megalichihys 

 represented by scales, and numerous species of placoid fishes of the 

 genera Compsacanthus and Pleur acanthus. 



The fish remains from Illinois consisted of a splendid specimen of 

 Edestes vorax, Leidy, from the coal at Belleville, opposite St. Louis, 

 and of several individuals of a new species of Platysomus from Mason 



