256 Scientific Intelligence. 



Canada, north of Lake Erie, namely, spines of Machaaracanthus 

 and tuberculate plates probably of Macropetalichthys. With 

 the Corniferous limestone, fishes begin to be well represented, 20 

 species having been thus far made out from the remains found in 

 it; and they include one, probably, three Cephalaspids, a Coccos- 

 teus, and the earliest species of the remarkable genus Dinichthys 

 of Newberry. 



Speaking of the fishes of the following Devonian strata to the 

 top of the Portage, the author states that recent discoveries have 

 made known a closer relationship between Europe and America 

 in the early Vertebrate fauna than had been supposed to exist, 

 Canada having afforded species of Pterichthys, Cheiroleps, Phan- 

 eropleuron and Glyptolepis, and Germany, species of Dinichthys, 

 Aspidichthys, Macropetalichthys and Machaeracanthus. On the 

 question of the relations of Pterichthys and Bothryolepis, he 

 alludes to Prof. Cope's reference of Pterichthys to the Tunicates, 

 and adds that " with abundant proofs of the relationship of Pter- 

 ichthys to Bothriolepis, Aspidichthys, Holonema and the other 

 Pterichthidas, it is evident that they must be grouped together ; 

 the ichthyic character of Pterichthys is settled by the preserva- 

 tion in many instances of a tail covered with scales connected 

 with the carapace." 



From the "Cleveland Shale," which is made Carboniferous, and 

 the lower member of the Waverly, 28 species of fishes are enumer- 

 ated (including 2 of Titanichthys and 6 of Dinichthys) ; from the 

 Carboniferous limestone, 347; and from the Carboniferous of 

 Linton, Ohio, 27 species. 



The plates illustrating this very valuable report bring out well 

 the marvelous character of the early vertebrate fauna of America. 



4. Chert-beds of the Lower Silurian of Organic Origin. — Dr. 

 Hinde has examined the chert of beds in Lanarkshire and Pee- 

 bleshire, Scotland, of the age of the Llandeilo-Caradoc series of 

 Wales, and found it to consist, in the specimens examined, of 

 Radiolarian shells, sponge-spicules being rare. The minute 

 spherical bodies which make up the specimen were seen in some 

 cases to consist of simple or concentric lattice-like shells, some 

 with relatively long radial spines, precisely similar in character to 

 the shells of recent and fossil Radiolaria. Dr. Hinde refers the 

 species mostly to described genera. A number of them are fig- 

 ured on a plate in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History 

 for July. The chert of the Carboniferous formation, which Dr. 

 Hinde has extensively examined, only in one case afforded him 

 Radiolarians. The Upper Silurian rocks of Langenstriegis, in 

 Saxony, has afforded Dr. Rothpletz a single species of Radio- 

 larian. 



5. JFossils in the Taconic limestone belt at the west foot of the 

 Taeonic Mange in Hillsdale, JV. Y. — The town of Hillsdale is in 

 the latitude of Great Barrington, and the limestones of the two 

 regions are on opposite sides of the Taconic Range synclinal. 

 Prof. Wm. B. Dwight has recently examined a specimen of the 



