702 DR RAMSAY H. TRAQUAIR ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF FOSSIL FISH-REMAINS 



ferous estuarine fish-fauna crops up when we get to the border country on the south 

 side of the Southern Uplands. This is at all events the case in Eskdale, and I rather 

 think that the fishes of the Calciferous Sandstone Series in Berwickshire will be found 

 to vary considerably from those of the north side of the hills. But Berwickshire is not 

 yet sufficiently searched, and I shall therefore confine the present remarks to the former 

 locality, where, more than twenty years ago, a novel assemblage of fossil fishes was 

 discovered by Mr Macconochie, collector to the Scottish G-eological Survey, and 

 entrusted to me by Sir A. Geikie for description. The material was also afterwards 

 increased by collections made by Mr Jex, collector to Mr Damon of Weymouth, and by 

 Mr T. Stock, the best part of these subsequent collections being now in the British 

 Museum and in the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art. 



Subjoined is the list from Glencartholm on the Esk, near Langholm, with the 

 inclusion of one interesting species from Tarras Foot, marked with an asterisk. 



Chondrenchelys problematica, Traq. Acrolepis ortholepis, Traq. 



Cladodus, sp. Cycloptychius concentricus, Traq. 



Sphenacanthus costellatus, Traq. JRhadinichthys fusiformis, Traq. 



Tristychius minor. „ Macconochii, Traq. 



Acanthodes nitidus, A. S. Woodw. ,, delicatulus, Traq. 



Tarrasius problematicus, Traq. „ tubercidatus, Traq. 



Megalichthys, sp. „ angustulus, Traq. 



Strepsodus, 2 species. *Styracopterus fidcratus, Traq. 

 Ccelacanthus Huxleyi, Traq. • Phanerosteon mirabile, Traq. 



Canobius Ramsayi, Traq. Eurynotus, 2 sp. 



,, elegantulus, Traq. Platysomus superbus, Traq. 



Mesopoma pulchellum, Traq. Mesolepis rhombus, Traq. 



„ politum, Traq. „ tubercidatus, Traq. 



Monichthys serratus, Traq. Cheirodopsis Geikiei, Traq. 



„ pulcherrimus, Traq. 



The list is not yet complete for the entire region, as the few Liddesdale fishes are 

 not yet completely worked up ; but this assemblage from Glencartholm is sufficiently 

 striking, seeing that only one named species in it, namely, Tristychius minor, is found 

 in the Lower Carboniferous beds of Central Scotland. A land barrier may have been 

 the cause of this striking difference in the fishes, as Mr Kidston finds that of the 

 terrestrial plants of the deposit some are peculiar to the locality, but more are common 

 to the Calciferous Sandstones. At all events we have not to do with strata deposited 

 in a land-locked lake, seeing that marine shells (Orthoceras, Conularia, Bellerophon, 

 Aviculopecten, etc.) occur close to the band which is most productive in fishes. 



Several years ago Mr B. N. Peach suggested to me that the Eskdale beds might 

 belong to a lower horizon than those from which the Edinburgh list is derived, and it 

 must be remembered that in the great thickness of strata below the Craigleith and 

 Granton Sandstones fish-remains are extremely scanty, consisting only of a few isolated 

 scales (teeth also at Arthur's Seat), which as yet are not specifically determinable. 

 Should this prove to be the correct explanation of the case, then we should have a zonal 

 distinction, and a very marked one too. But more work has yet to be done ere the 

 problem can be said to be placed on a satisfactory basis. 





