316 Dr Fleming on the Remains of a Fish found in Coal. 



of Clackmannan, by my friend Mr Robert Bald, as published 

 in the Memoirs of the Wernerian Society, vol. i. p. 498. The 

 bed consists of clay-ironstone and cannel coal. It abounds with 

 the remains of vegetables, and in some places contains numerous 

 examples of bivalve shells, which have been denominated by 

 the miners tobacco leaves. The shells are usually so com- 

 pressed, that I have not been able distinctly to recognise the 

 genus to which they should be referred, though I am inclined 

 to consider them as connected with U?iio. Detached scales, 

 of the same form as those belonging to the example before 

 us, have been observed in other beds of the same coal-field, 

 accompanied by scales of a different character, by bones and 

 by conical teeth, sulcated externally, and hollow internally at 

 the base. 



In ail the beds, connected with the one which yielded the ob- 

 ject before us, and these have been more or less exposed to the 

 depth of 707 feet, there has not been a trace of organisms of 

 marine origin detected ; while vegetable remains, usually consi- 

 dered of land or fresh-water origin, are, as I have said, very ge- 

 nerally distributed. In such circumstances, I have therefore 

 little hesitation in considering the present organism as having 

 belonged to a lacustrine fish, since all the strata of the coal-field 

 at Clackmannan are of lacustrine origin. 



As M. Agassiz is at present successfully occupied in the de- 

 scription and classification of fossil fishes^ and may probably be 

 enabled, satisfactorily, to establish a genus to which the present 

 organism may be suitably referred, I feel inclined, provisionally, 

 to denominate it Ichthyolithus Clackmannensis — a desig- 

 nation suggested by many pleasing recollections of kindness 

 which I experienced while resident in the district of Clackman- 

 nan. 



It was my intention to have sent you, along with this notice, 

 sketches of several scales of fishes, of different kinds, together 

 with the teeth, and also bones which I possess, and which I 

 have procured from the mountain limestone, and the beds above 

 and below that interesting formation. I regret, however, that 

 I am compelled by particular circumstances to delay the com- 

 munication for the present. Faithfully yours, 

 King's College, Aberdeen, John FLEMING. 



8th Jurie 1835. 



