392 MANUAL OF ZOOLOGY. 



of all the living Ganoid fishes— namely, the Sturgeons— and it 

 also contains some highly singular fossil forms. The sub-order 

 is defined by the fact that the skeleton is always imperfectly 

 ossified, and often retains the notochord, whilst the head and 

 more or less of the body are protected by large ganoid plates, 

 which in many cases are united together at their edges by 

 sutures. The tail is heterocercal. 



The family Sturionidce comprises the various species of Stur- 

 geon, which are found in the North, Black, and Caspian seas, 

 whence they ascend the great rivers for the purpose of spawn- 

 ing. Other allied forms are peculiar to the North American 

 continent (e.g., the Paddle -fish, Spatularid). The vertebral 

 column in the Sturgeon remains permanently in an embryonic 

 condition. The notochord is persistent, and the vertebral 

 centra are wanting, but the neural arches of the vertebrae reach 

 the condition of cartilage. The mouth is destitute of teeth, 

 and the head is covered with an armour of large ganoid plates 

 joined together at their edges by suture. Rows of detached 

 ganoid plates also occur on the body. The various species of 

 Sturgeon attain a great size, one — the Beluga — often measur- 

 ing twelve or fifteen feet in length. They are commercially of 

 considerable importance, the swimming-bladder yielding most 

 of the isinglass of commerce, whilst the roe is largely employed 

 as a delicacy under the name oi caviare. 



Two or three fossil forms belonging to the Sturionidce are all 

 that are at present known ; and by far the greater number of 

 extinct Placoganoids belong to the family Ostracostei, estab- 

 lished by Owen, and characterised by the fact that the head, 

 and generally the anterior part of the trunk as well, was encased 

 in a strong armour composed of numerous large ganoid plates, 

 immovably joined to one another. The posterior extremity of 

 the body was more or less completely unprotected, and, whilst 

 the notochord was persistent, the peripheral elements of the 

 vertebras — namely, the neural and haemal spines — were ossified. 

 The following are the more remarkable forms belonging to this 

 section : — 



a. Pterichthys. — ^This is one of the most singular of fossil 

 fishes, and was first discovered in the Old Red Sandstone by 

 the late 'Hugh Miller. The whole of the head and the anterior 

 part of the trunk were defended by a buckler of large ganoid 

 plates, those covering the trunk forming a back-plate and a 

 breast-plate, articulated together at the sides. 



The rest of the body was covered with small ganoid icales 

 (fig. 148). A small dorsal fin, a pair of ventrals, a pair of pec- 

 torals, and a heterocercal tail-fin were present. The form of 



