Rose, on Parasitic Borings in Fossil Fish-scales. 7 
and in my proposals for removing some of the defects of pre- 
vious methods, I venture to hope that the results may here- 
after show that I have contributed my mite towards the 
advancement of the art. 
On the Discovery of Parasitic Borings in Fossil Fish- 
scales. By C. B. Rose, F.G.S., &c. 
(Read June 28th, 1854.) 
The subject of the communication which I bring before the 
Microscopical Society, through the favour of my friend Pro- 
fessor Quekett, is the discovery of parasitical borings within 
the delicate structure of fossil fish-scales. 
The history of my detection of these workings is as follows : 
— In the winter of 1851, when examining fossil fish-scales 
from the chalk strata of this neighbourhood, it struck me — 
as many of them were thin and translucent, particularly those 
of cycloid fishes — that they might make interesting micro- 
scopic objects ; and I sent up to Norman, in the City Road — - 
a well-known preparer of specimens for the microscope — a 
small piece of chalk with scales adhering to it, requesting him 
to put a few upon glasses for me. In consequence of their 
thinness and brittle texture, he succeeded in affixing a por- 
tion of two scales only. Upon examining them, I observed 
that one of them exhibited elegant arborizations, extending 
over a large portion of the scale ; in the other scale no such 
branching figures were visible ; nothing, indeed, was seen 
but a yellowish, translucent substance, traversed by equidis- 
tant lines, evidently the lines of growth ; similar lines were 
also seen traversing the portion of scale containing the beaUv 
tiful arborizations. (See Plate I., fig. 1.) 
I at first thought the ramifications were on the surface of 
the scale, and imagined they might be minute coralloid bodies ; 
but upon applying to them a power of l-8th, I became satis- 
fied that they were tubes of some kind within the texture of 
the scale ; and by varying the focus, and passing in review 
different parts of the scale, I ascertained that they were situ- 
ated between its laminae. Still, I could not conceive their 
origin ; for I was convinced they had nothing to do with the 
natural structure of the scale, from there being nothing of the 
kind to be seen in the other scale, and both of them cycloid 
scales (Osmeroides ?). 
Not very long after meeting with this interesting specimen, 
I was so fortunate as to receive from Mr. Wether ell, of High- 
gate, a paper, published in the ' Annals of Natural History,' 
by Mr. Morris, of Kensington, entitled " Palaeontological 
