Lohley — DistribzUion of British Brachiopoda. 497 



Climaxodiis ovatiis, sp. nov. The specimen is perfect, the length 

 being one inch, width at broadest part seven-tenths, and at narrow 

 posterior end five-tenths ; the crown is crossed by five transverse 

 ridges, the distance between the ridges uniformly diminishes from 

 front to back of tooth ; the crown is considerably convex except be- 

 tween the first transverse ridge and the anterior edge of the tooth, 

 where it is slightly concave ; the summit of each ridge is marked at 

 right angles to the ridges, or from front to back of the tooth with 

 close, nearly parallel lines consisting of a cream-coloured irridescent 

 substance. The tooth is attached to a long plate, the length of which 

 is one-third greater than that of the tooth, and towards the posterior 

 part of the tooth the supporting plate presents a root-like appear- 

 ance ; the thickness of the tooth is one-tenth of an inch, that of the 

 plate to which it is attached one-eighth of an inch. The structure 

 of the bony plate is open and reticulated, closely resembling in 

 structure the base of the palatal teeth of the Ctenodi. 



In a lecture which I delivered to the members of the Mechanics' 

 Institution, Newcastle-on-Tyne, on 28th September, on the Fauna of 

 the Low Main Coal-shale, I described and named the only specimen 

 then in my possession as Climaxodiis ovatiis. To-day (October 10) 

 I have heard that Mr. Atthey, of Gosforth, read a paper before the 

 members of the Tyneside Naturalists' Field-club yesterday, the 9th, 

 and described a similar tooth found by him during his long and 

 painstaking researches in this department of palaaontology. How 

 many specimens Mr. Atthey has in his possession, or what is their 

 state of preservation, I have not been informed. 



In order to obtain reliable information respecting fish and reptile 

 remains found in the Coal-measures, I have found it necessary to 

 search many works, generally inaccessible to most local geologists. 

 It has occurred to me that a popular exposition of the fishes and 

 reptiles of the Coal-measures, with a few typical illustrations, taking 

 each genus in its order, mio;ht prove of great service to those readers 

 of the Geological Magazine who have not made Carboniferous 

 fossils a speciality, and who desire a popular exposition of the fossils 

 that are now becoming somewhat plentifully distributed throughout 

 the kingdom. I commend this suggestion to those of your contri- 

 butors who have made the Carboniferous system a study, and who 

 have access to the most recent specimens and works upon the subject. 



IV. — The Eange and Distribution of British Fossil Brachiopoda. 



By J. Logan Lobley, F.G.S. 



IN the following brief remarks on the range and distribution of 

 Brachiopoda in British strata, and in the accompanying tables, 

 the classification of Dr. Davidson has been mainly followed ; and the 

 calculations of the numbers have been principally based on the re- 

 searches of that great authority, though the recent discoveries of 

 Mr. C. Moore and others have been duly taken into consideration. 

 These numbers must, of course, only be regarded as showing the 

 present state of knowledge on the subject, as the active search which 

 many observers are making will doubtless materially alter the figures 

 here given. 



