THE FOSSIL FISHES OF THE ENGLISH CHALK 



INTBODIJCTION. 



Fishes of the Cretaceous period are now known from many parts of the workL 

 jMaterials are rapidly accumulating, indeed, for a tolerably complete account of the 

 last of the Mesozoic fish-faunas. Some of the fossils, like those from the Le1)anon, 

 Dalmatia, and Westphalia, are whole fishes in a crushed state, displaying the verte- 

 bral column, fins, and scales, in undisturbed position, but showing almost nothing 

 of the cranial osteology. Others, like those from the Chalk of England and 

 Kansas, are usually more fragmentary, but are often little crushed, and exhibit the 

 essential details of their osteology as well as modern skeletons. The specimens in 

 these two conditions must therefore be carefully compared to obtain a complete 

 knowledge of the various genera and species represented ; and, as a basis for this 

 comparison, it is necessary to prepare detailed descriptions and illustrations of each 

 series of remains. So far as the fishes of the English Chalk are concerned, it is 

 now proposed to attempt this preliminary work. 



Fossil fishes seem to have been first noticed in the Chalk of this country by 

 Dr. Gideon A. Mantell, who published general descriptions and figures of many 

 specimens in his ' Fossils of the South Downs ' in 1822. His collection was subse- 

 quently described with greater success by Agassiz in his ' Recherches sur les Poissons 

 Fossiles' (1800-44-). The Avritings of Mantell and Agassiz aroused so much 

 interest in the south-east of England, that other collectors soon liegan to obtain im- 

 portant series of s})ecimens, notably Dixon, Bower])ank, Willett (at that time named 

 Catt), Coombe, Egerton, and Mrs. Smith, of Tunbridge Wells. Fine illusti-ations 

 and brief notices of the Chalk fishes were then issued in Frederic Dixon's ' Geology 

 and Fossils of Sussex ' in 1850. A ucav edition of tliis work, Avith notes on the 

 fossil fishes liy E. T. Newton, appeared in 1878. Miscelkmeous pa]»ers on certain 

 genera Avere also pul)lislied by Egerton, Giinther, E. T. NeAvton, and W. Davies. 

 More recently the present Avriter has made several contributions to the subject, 

 including a preliminary " Synopsis " in the Proceedings of the Geologists' Associa- 

 tion in 1888. Finally, there is a reA'ised summary of all the known genera and 



1 



