36 RAMSAY H. TRAQUAIR’S 
which run parallel with the anterior and inferior margins, while others run 
more or less diagonally across the remaining portion of the sculptured area. 
According to the flatness or elevation of the interspaces between these furrows, 
a greater or less appearance of ridging is produced in different specimens, and 
in all the ridged appearance is pretty strongly developed in the scales of the 
back between the dorsal fin and the occiput. The ornament becomes less 
sharp posteriorly, but nevertheless it is developed to a greater or less extent 
even on the scales of the caudal body-prolongation. Some amount of a 
tolerably coarse denticulation is also observable, especially on the flank-scales, 
and, as very commonly happens, disappearing towards the tail and the margin 
of the body. 
The pectoral fin is tolerably preserved only in one specimen, and is 
acuminate in shape ; its length equals about 3 that of the head. So far as can 
be made out by careful examination with a good lens, its principal rays seem 
to be articulated up to very near their origins,—a feature which is certainly 
at variance with the characters of the genus Rhadinichthys, hence the query 
which I have appended above. The ventral fin, situated between the pectoral 
and anal, is ill preserved ; it seems however to have been small, with its rays 
moderately closely articulated, and fretted with a striated pattern. The dorsal 
fin is placed behind the arch of the back, its anterior commencement being 
only very slightly in front of that of the nearly opposed anal; it is moderate in 
size, acutely triangular-acuminate in shape, the extent of its base measuring 
only about half that of its height in front. Its rays are about 30 in number, 
delicate, bifurcating towards their extremities, their joints longer than broad, 
but becoming shorter distally, and in the hindermost rays ; they are externally 
smooth, or with a single longitudinal furrow. The anal is not so well preserved 
in any of the specimens, but is apparently of the same form and structure as the 
dorsal. The caudal is powerful, deeply cleft, and inequilobate, the upper lobe 
being nearly twice as long as the lower; its rays are delicate, smooth, 
dichotomising towards their extremities, and divided by tolerably distant 
transverse articulations. The anterior margins of all the fins are minutely 
fulcrated. 
Remarks.—The characteristic features of the above described beautiful 
Palzoniscid are so distinct and so novel, that we are fortunately free from any 
troublesome doubts and questions as to species, for even although the scale 
markings may show some amount of individual variation as to the strength and 
sharpness, it is, as already stated, easy to pick out its fragmentary remains and 
place them together as belonging to one well-defined form. Superficially it 
reminds us of the well known and typical Lhadinichthys ornatissimus of the 
Lower Carboniferous rocks of Central Scotland, but the differences in scale-sculp- 
ture and general proportions come into such strong relief the moment a critical 
