270 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



and boundaries. The notice of its probable depth we shall 

 treat in the same manner, on the ground urged by the 

 author, of the doubtful nature of the calculations of the 

 Geologist ; and shall, therefore, at once transcribe the asser- 

 tion of Mr. Miller, that the fossils of this formation are 

 exceedingly numerous, and in a state of high preservation.^' 



The variety of forms displayed by these productions of 

 nature need not be noticed, although here again our author 

 displays his power of language and intimate knowledge of 

 fossil [chthyology. His delightful description of the Pte- 

 richthys, its first discovery, its varieties, and the evidences 

 of its violent destruction are all graphic ; that of the Coccus- 

 teus is equally instructive ; Mr. Miller states that he is al- 

 ready acquainted with four species, viz : C, ? ; C. la- 



tus ; C. cuspidatus ; C. oblongus ; and that he has laid open 

 in a few square yards of rock the remains of a dozen diffe- 

 rent individuals belonging to the second and third species of 

 the form above named. His notices of the Osteolepis, Dip- 

 teruSi Biplopterus, Glytolepis^ Cheirolepis, Diplacanthus and 

 Cheiracanthus are all equally good. 



This enumeration is in itself saying much for the work, but 

 not more than it really deserves, for excellent as are these 

 descriptions individually, we were still more gratified by the 

 detail of the classification of the Ichthyohtes of this forma- 

 tion, to which in its turn we purpose devoting a short 

 space. 



After detailing the respective peculiarities of each order^ 

 the Cuvieran system of classification, and those of the ge- 

 nera of the fossil remains found in the Old Red Sandstone, 

 and thence pointing out their peculiarities, he remarks that 

 there is something very admirable in the consistency of style 

 among the Ichthyolites of that formation. In no single fish 

 of either group do we find two styles of ornament, in scarce 

 any two fishes do we find exactly the same style. Yet there 



