BRITISH FOSSILS. 5 



large predatory teeth, stamps it a member of the Sauroid family. 

 As compared with other fossil members of this family, it approxi- 

 mates Eugnathus in the character of the scales, but differs from this 

 genus and resembles Caturus in the uniformity of the teeth. Be- 

 fore I was cognizant of the scales, I was inclined to think it might 

 belong to the Godacanths. The bulky form and depressed head, the 

 broad lower jaw, fluted teeth, and sculptured bones, are all features 

 prevalent in that family ; but the angular scales forbid this associa- 

 tion, as the boundaries of these families are now defined. There 

 are certainly exceptional forms among the fossil Sauroids, such as 

 Megalurus and Leptolepis, with rounded scales, but these are com- 

 bined with other characters preponderating in favour of the Sauroid 

 relationship. On comparing Lophiostomus with recent fishes, the 

 most striking features which naturally suggest themselves are the 

 dentigerous maxillaries, the divided nasal, and the expanded lingual 

 bone. The first peculiarity, namely, the part performed by the 

 maxillary bone in the conformation of the upper jaw, is common to 

 the Glupeidce, the Salmonidce, to Lejndosteus, and Polypteriis, and 

 to several genera of doubtful position, such as Araixvlma* Amia, 

 Hyodon, Megalops^ Erythrinus, Macrodon, &c. Most of these 

 genera have also teeth on the vomer and palatine bones. The 

 divided nasal is a structure of more limited occurrence. It obtains 

 in Lepidosteus, Polypterus,Amia, Arapaima, Heterotis, Erythrinus, 

 as also in MegalicMliys, and some other fossil genera. The lingual, 

 or submaxillary plate, the glossohyal of Pofessor Owen, occurs in 

 Elops, Megalops, and Amici, but attains its maximum development 

 in Arapaima. Among fossil genera, Asterolepis has this bone single ; 

 in Holoptychius and some of the Dipterians it is double as in 

 Polypterus, while in Megalichthys and Osteolepis it is replaced by 

 three plates. The combination of these features most in accordance 

 with those in Lophiostomus occurs in the genera Arapaima and 

 Amia. In reference to the former, Professor Owen wrote to me from 

 Paris last autumn as follows : " Having your chalk fish still in view, 

 I looked sharp at all the fishes' skulls at the Garden of Plants, and 

 found almost its fac-simile in that of the great Sudis (Arapaima) 

 gigas ; — the same short premaxillaries, long dentigerous maxillaries, 

 rear rank of shorter teeth on the vomer and palatines, divided nasal, 

 broad glossohyal, numerous branchiostegals, and rough outer surface 

 of the bone, &c. ; the general shape much closer to the fish from 

 Alfriston than the skull of Lepidosteus is, but clearly showing the 

 same Sauroid or Salamandroid family construction." In some 

 * Vastres, Cuvier and Valenciennes. 



