196 



REMAINS OF A CHIM^EROID FISH FROM THE 

 CORAL RAG OF NORTH GRIMSTON. 



H. C. DRAKE, F.G.S. 



A FEW years ago I spent some time in the Malton district, and 

 amongst other Vertebrate remains from the Coralhan rocks I 

 found a piece of bone. I recently sent this, which is embedded 

 in a block of Coral Rag, to Dr. A. Smith Woodward, F.R.S., 

 of the British Museum (Natural History). The specimen was 

 obtained in the large quarry at North Grimston. 



Dr. Woodward kindly informed me that it was the right 

 mandibular ramus of Ischyodus egertoni Ag., and that it was a 

 new record for the Corallian rocks of England. 



The specimen measures 60 mm. from the beak to the 

 hinder margin, and 35 mm. from the symphysial margin to the 

 post-oral margin. 



Unfortunately all the teeth are missing, but the rough 

 depressions show where the teeth have been. 



Prof. J. Phillips mentions the same species from the Oxford 

 Clay of St. Clements (' Geology of Oxford,' p. 305). 



Mr. Buckland in 1835 described the first specimen of 

 Ischyodus from the Portland Oolites of Oxfordshire. This 

 measured 7 inches in length, and is the largest specimen of 

 the genus. It was named /. townsendi. 



Mr. E. T. Newton figures a specimen of mandible of /. 

 townshendii from the Portland Oolite of Up way, Dorsetshire, 

 in the ' Proceedings of the Geological Association ' July, 1881, 

 p. 117. This agrees very much with my specimen, but it is 

 about twice as large. 



Dr. A. Smith Woodward also mentions two species from the 

 great oolite of Northamptonshire in his ' Synopsis of the Fossil 

 Fishes of the English Lower Oolites ' (' Proc. Geol. Asoc.,' 

 Vol. IF, No. 6). 



I have to thank Dr. Woodward for his kindness in de- 

 termining this and numerous other specimens for me. 



Messrs. Witherby & Co. have launched a new monthly publication — 

 * Travel and Exploration ' (i/- net), the first part of which has been sent 

 to us. It contains numerous well-written, and well-illustrated articles, 

 dealing with various parts of the world, starting off with ' The Nasa- 

 monians — A Call to Exploration,' by Sir Clements R. Markham, K.C.B., 

 F.R.S. The magazine will doubtless be much appreciated by those in- 

 terested in travel. 



Naturalist, 



