ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT, 



223 



Vertebrata. 



Pisces. — 120 genera and 290 species of fish and 26 genera and 

 33 species of Amphibia compose numerically the Yertebrate fauna 

 of the Carboniferous rocks. The comparatively rich assemblage of 

 ichthyic remains in the Old Bed Sandstone bears no proportion to the 

 great increase and development of this class in the Carboniferous 

 system. Only two orders are represented in the Carboniferous 

 rocks, viz. the Ganoidei and Elasmobranchi (Placoidei, Ag.), the 

 Ganoidei through the suborder Crossopterygidse by 4 of the 6 recog- 

 nized families, the Saurodipterini, Glyptodipterini, Ctenodipterini ? 

 (Dipnoi)*, and Ccelacanthini. The Elasmobranchi mainly corre- 

 spond to the Chondropterygidae or the Cartilaginous Eishes of Cuvier 

 (the Holocephali and Plagiostomi of Owen and the Selachia of 

 Miiller). 



The distribution and appearance in time of the two orders appears 

 to have been much the same ; the Plagiostomi first appeared in the 

 Ludlow rocks, the Holocephali through the Chimseroids in the 

 Devonian rocks of 1ST. America (genus Ehinodus of Newberry). The 

 section Cestraphori of the order Plagiostomi is abundantly represented 

 in the Carboniferous rocks from base to summit, spines and teeth of 

 the several genera occurring everywhere, although very locally, the 

 Cienacanthi, Gyracanthi, Homacanthi, Oracanthi, Onchi, and Lepta- 

 canthi being the most important, and occurring as spines (Ichthyo- 

 dorulites). 



The genera or groups illustrated by palatal and other teeth are 

 Cochliodus, Deltodus, Psammodus, Petalodus, Otodus, Ctenoptychius, 

 Cladodus, Glossodus, Diplodus, Helodus, &c. Many of these generic 

 groups will be greatly reduced under stricter and more complete 

 research. My duty here is not to criticise, but rather to bring 

 together for a special purpose the labours of others as at present 

 received. 



The lowest recognized rocks of the Carboniferous system, the 

 "Calciferous Sandstone" of the Scotch geologists, or Tuedian of 

 Northumberland, confined to the north of England and south-east- 

 ern Scotland, contains 13 genera and 14 species — Cladodus 1 species, 

 CtenacantJius 1, Ctenodus 1, Ctenoptychius 1, Diplodus 1, Eurynotus 1, 

 MegalicJithys 1, Nematoptychus 1, Pcecilodus 1, Pygopterus 1, Ehadi- 

 nichthys 1, Bhizodus 2, and Wardichthys 1. Thus, with one exception, 

 each genus is represented only by 1 species. Surely much has to be 

 done both with the Ganoidei (8) and Placoidei (5) when better 

 materials come to hand ; for many of the genera must be established 

 upon slender grounds. 



The Lower Limestones and Shales have yielded 29 genera and 

 50 species ; and if this lower member be associated with the thick or 



* I am aware that Dr. Traquair would remove the Glyptodipterini from the 

 Crossopterygious Ganoids and place them sectionally in the order Dipnoi (vide 

 Trans. Eoy. Soc. Edinb. vol. xxvii. for the sections and families proposed by 

 Dr. Traquair). 



