﻿IV PREFACE. 



the trunk being covered with plates, and the mouth being destitute 

 of hard parts. Here are placed the earliest-known fossil fishes, the 

 anomalous Pteraspidee and CepJuilaspidce, of which the finest ex- 

 amples have recently been presented by George H. Piper, Esq., 

 F.G.S., of Ledbury. These are succeeded by the Asterolepida (well 

 represented by Pterickthys, Botliriolepis, &c). Then follow the 

 Dipnoi, represented by Dipterus, PalcedapJms, Phaneropleuron, 

 Ctenodus, Ceratodus, &c. ; and the Artlirodira, proposed to embrace 

 the unrivalled collection of Coccosteus, with DinichtJiys, Homostcus, 

 Heterosteus, &c. 



The Crossopterygian Teleostoiti come next, with HolojytycMus, 

 Rliizodus, Megalichthys, Glyptopomus, and Coelacanthus, with Un- 

 dina, Maeropoma, and many others. To these succeed Actino- 

 pterygii of the family Pcrtceoniscidce, with Oxygnathus and some 

 twenty-five other genera, one of the largest groups represented in 

 this Catalogue, and to the determination of which Dr. Traquair has 

 devoted so many years of stud}\ The Platysomatidce conclude the 

 present volume, with the fine series of Plalysomas, Eurynotus, Chei- 

 rodus, &c, from the Permian and Carboniferous strata. 



It is hoped that the sixteen Plates and fifty-eight woodcuts will 

 prove of assistance to those using the Catalogue, especially at a 

 distance from the Museum Collection, and also enable the student 

 in Comparative Ichthyology the better to appreciate the points of 

 structure indicated in the text. 



The next volume will contain the modern Chondrostean Acti- 

 nopterygii, and the lengthy series of typical Physostomous fishes 

 specially characteristic of the Mesozoic and early Tertiary Epochs. 



HENEY WOODWARD. 



British Museum, 



Geological Department 



January 20th, 1891. 



