﻿OF 
  THE 
  MORAY 
  FIRTH 
  AREA. 
  

  

  253 
  

  

  fine-grained 
  in 
  texture, 
  contains 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  calcite 
  as 
  

   a 
  cement, 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  which 
  causes 
  the 
  stone 
  to 
  effervesce 
  when 
  

   touched 
  with 
  an 
  acid, 
  and 
  to 
  phosphoresce 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  seconds 
  with 
  a 
  

   pale 
  golden 
  light 
  when 
  powdered 
  and 
  sprinkled 
  on 
  a 
  hot 
  shovel 
  in 
  

   the 
  dark. 
  1 
  Micaceous 
  partings 
  occasionally 
  occur, 
  and 
  in 
  places 
  the 
  

   stone 
  may 
  be 
  rendered 
  useless 
  by 
  the 
  inclusion 
  of 
  numerous 
  lenticular 
  

   pieces 
  of 
  shaly 
  matter, 
  usually 
  of 
  a 
  dark 
  chocolate 
  colour. 
  

  

  The 
  fossil 
  fish-plates 
  which 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  sandstone 
  are 
  stated 
  

   by 
  Dr. 
  Malcolmson 
  (5) 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  first 
  discovered 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  

   Dr. 
  Gregor 
  of 
  Nairn 
  in 
  the 
  stones 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  wall. 
  By 
  far 
  the 
  greater 
  

   number 
  belong 
  to 
  one 
  species, 
  namely 
  Asterolepis 
  maxima, 
  Agassiz 
  

   sp.; 
  and 
  though 
  a 
  few 
  other 
  fishes 
  are 
  also 
  represented, 
  their 
  remains 
  

   are 
  comparatively 
  rare. 
  

  

  Class 
  PISCES. 
  

  

  Sub-class 
  OS 
  TEA 
  00 
  DEB 
  MI. 
  

   Order 
  ANTIARCHA. 
  

   Family 
  ASTEROLEPHXE. 
  

  

  Genus 
  ASTEROLEPIS, 
  Eichicald, 
  1840. 
  

   Asterolepis 
  maxima 
  (Agassiz). 
  

  

  Syn. 
  Coccosteus 
  maximus, 
  Agassiz 
  ; 
  Pterichthys 
  major, 
  Hugh 
  Miller, 
  non 
  

   Agassiz 
  ; 
  ? 
  Cephalaspis 
  Gordoni, 
  Malcolmson. 
  

  

  (Restored 
  figures, 
  PI. 
  v. 
  figs. 
  1, 
  2.) 
  

   I 
  have 
  published 
  a 
  minute 
  description 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  accompanied 
  

   with 
  figures, 
  in 
  the 
  Pataontographical 
  Society's 
  volume 
  for 
  1894, 
  

   in 
  which 
  work 
  I 
  have 
  fully 
  explained 
  the 
  reason 
  for 
  following 
  

   Pander 
  in 
  restoring 
  Eichwald's 
  name 
  Asterolepis 
  to 
  the 
  Pterichthyan 
  

   genus 
  for 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  originally 
  proposed, 
  and 
  for 
  adopting 
  

   Asmuss's 
  Homostcus 
  for 
  the 
  great 
  Coccostean 
  which 
  Hugh 
  Miller, 
  

   misled 
  by 
  a 
  mistake 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  Agassiz, 
  described 
  as 
  the 
  

   'Asterolepis 
  of 
  Stromness.' 
  

  

  The 
  detached 
  body-plates 
  of 
  Asterolepis 
  maxima 
  are 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  

   commonest 
  fossils 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Nairn 
  Sandstone 
  ; 
  occasionally 
  

   several 
  plates 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  apposition, 
  but 
  though 
  heads 
  and 
  

   'arms' 
  are 
  also 
  not 
  uncommon, 
  anything 
  oven 
  approaching 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  1 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  observed 
  this 
  ' 
  phosphorescence 
  ' 
  in 
  many 
  specimens 
  of 
  Old 
  Red 
  

   Sandstone 
  from 
  other 
  horizons 
  and 
  localities. 
  In 
  all 
  cases 
  it 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  calcite. 
  

  

  