culations are more than usually distant towards the proximal extremities of the principal rays of the pectoral, and also, though to a less extent, in the lower lobe of the caudal. The joints are scalelike in general aspect; the distal margin of each is notched or concave, the proximal correspondingly convex; and the outer surface is in most cases marked with at least one delicate furrow parallel with the anterior and posterior borders; near the bases of the dorsal and anal fins the joints present indeed an appearance as of fine striation. The fulcra of the anterior margins of the fins are closely set and very minute, being only observable with the aid of a lens.

Remarks.-Under the name of Amblypterus punctatus, three imperfect specimens of fossil fish from the shales of Wardie were described and figured by Agassiz in the "Poissons Fossiles." One of these is a head with the anterior part of the body (Atlas, vol. ii. tab. 4 B, fig. 4); the second (ib. fig. 5) wants the head and shoulders and the extremity of the tail; the third (ib. fig. 3) displays the entire caudal fin, but is obliquely cut off just in front of the dorsal and anal. The principal characters which he assigned to this species were-the considerable depth of the anterior part of the body; the character of the teeth, which had the form of small obtuse cones apparently disposed in several rows; and the ornament of the scales, which consisted, in those in front, of oblique undulating lines closer together at the anterior part of each scale and mingled with punctures, the latter more numerous towards the posterior margin; while on the scales of the hinder part of the body those lines were less crowded, and the punctures more numerous, the former entirely disappearing on the scales of the pedicle of the tail, where only a few scattered points were left.

For some time after commencing the study of the fossil fishes of Wardie, this species "punctatus," stated by Agassiz to be common in that locality, was to me a complete enigma, as among the numerous entire specimens of fish which I had the opportunity of examining, I could not find one which agreed in all its characters with Agassiz's description, though in some the anterior, and in others the posterior part of the fish answered well enough. The mystery was, however, at once cleared up by an examination of the figured specimens, of which two, collected by Lord Greenock,

are in the collection of the Royal Society of Edinburgh; while the third, collected by Dr Buckland, and contained in the Oxford University Museum, was forwarded to me with great liberality by Professor Prestwich. A comparison of these specimens with a series of entire fishes from the Wardie beds establishes the fact, that the Amblypterus punctatus of Agassiz was founded upon fragments of two distinct species, the specimen with the head, but without the hinder part of the body, being even generically distinct from the other two, which display the hinder part, but without the head,the fishes to which they respectively appertain differing not only in dentition, but also in many other particulars connected with the head, the scales, and the fins.

The peculiar form and arrangement of the teeth in the first of these render necessary the institution of a new genus, to which I have given the name Gonatodus.* These teeth were somewhat incorrectly described by Agassiz as being "en cones obtus," this appearance in the specimen he examined being due to their being there only seen in antero-posterior vertical section, their peculiar flexures and pointed apices being invisible; their being disposed "sur plusieurs rangées" seems also to be an error as far as the mandibles and maxilla are concerned, though probably there were additional teeth on the margin of the palate. Perfect examples of the species to which the other two type specimens belong show that the teeth are in it acutely conical, incurved, and of different sizes, large and small, and that in these and other respects the fish is closely allied to the Amblypterus nemopterus, Palæoniscus striolatus, and P. Robisoni of Agassiz, along with which forms it is, in my opinion, referable to the genus Elonichthys of Giebel. It now, however, becomes a question for which of these two fishes the specific term "punctatus" should be retained. Now, although the enlarged representations of scales given by Agassiz (Pois. Foss. Atlas, vol. ii. tab. 4 c. figs. 6 and 7) are taken from the second species (Elonichthys), yet the term is indeed applicable to both, and as the characters of the head and teeth are

yovu, knee; and odous, tooth.

The reasons for removing these forms from the genera Amblypterus and Palæoniscus, and uniting them with Elonichthys, will be given in my next communication.

those which more especially distinguished Agassiz's conception of "Amblypterus punctatus" from his A. nemopterus with which he contrasted it as occurring in the same beds, it seemed to me more appropriate to retain his name "punctatus" for the species of which these peculiarities are characteristic. For the other I propose the name Elonichthys intermedius; it is very closely allied both to E. nemopterus and E. striolatus, and will be described in my next communication on the fossil fishes of the Edinburgh district.

The peculiar dentition of Gonatodus was, however, first correctly described by Mr R.Walker* in a fish from the oil shales of Pitcorthie, Fifeshire, to which he gave the name of Amblypterus anconoæchmodus, the horizon in which it occurred being probably that of the Burdiehouse Limestone. Mr Walker's fish undoubtedly belongs to the same genus with that described above, and may possibly be the same with G. punctatus-if not, it is certainly very closely allied, —but I have had no opportunity of instituting a comparison by means of actual specimens. Mr Walker, however, makes no mention of punctures as a scale ornament, and his figures represent the entire surface of the scale covered-as he says in the text-“ with fine striæ which run parallel with the anterior and lower margins," and "are more conspicuous on the scales of some specimens than on those of others." Regarding the arrangement of the teeth in the lower jaw, Mr Walker also states that they "are placed alternately one close to the outside margin, the next to it is fully half its own thickness farther in, and so on the whole length of the bone,"—an appearance of which I have observed some slight indications in G. punctatus, but not with the regularity described.

Geological Position and Locality.-The specimens from which the above description of Gonatodus punctatus has been drawn up are in the Museum of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and in the private collection of the author. They are all preserved in nodules of clay

"On a New Species of Amblypterus and other fossil fish remains from Pitcorthie, Fife." Trans. Edin. Geol. Soc. vol. ii. pt. 1 (1872), pp. 119–124. + In the Wardie specimens the scales appear for the most part dull, and delicately striated all over; this is, however, internal structure, not external sculpture, and is due to the flaking off of the external ganoine layer. When this is preserved in situ, as it is here and there in many specimens, the surface of the scale is brilliant, largely punctured, and the appearance of striation more or less limited or obsolete, as already described.

ironstone, from the lower Carboniferous shales of Wardie, near Edinburgh, belonging to the Cement-stone group of the Calciferous sandstone series.

The next species is new, and from a higher horizon.

Gonatodus macrolepis sp., nov. Traquair.

Description.-The usual length of examples of this species is from four to six or seven inches, but although a considerable number of specimens more or less perfect have occurred in no two do the proportional measurement agree, owing to the greater or less amount of alteration of form, frequently amounting to positive distortion, which they have undergone, apparently both soon after death, and also during the consolidation of their ironstone matrix. Seldom do the scales, save on the caudal body-prolongation, remain in their original relations to each other on any considerable part of the body, but are always more or less jumbled up, even though the contour of the fish may remain tolerably regular, and the shape and structure of more or fewer of the fins be quite intact. As remarked in the description of Nematoptychius gracilis, this condition affects nearly all the small fishes occurring in the Gilmerton ironstone. In one example of the present species in my collection, the apex of the anal fin appears neatly cut off, and dislocated a quarter of an inch forward from the rest of the fin.

The most perfect specimen in my collection is 6 inches in length by 1 in depth at the ventral fins, and is nearly perfect. In no specimens are the bones of the head well shown, these being always more or less crushed and broken; what can be seen of them shows that they were conformed essentially as in the preceding species, and sculptured much in the same way, though perhaps a little more coarsely. The configuration of the teeth is also essentially the same, though they appear to be a little more clumsy in shape, and not quite so regular in arrangement. But the most salient peculiarity of the present species lies in its scales, which are considerably larger than in G. punctatus, except on the caudal body-prolongation, where they are equally small. Their outer and brilliantly-polished surfaces are also devoid of ornament, and might indeed be described as completely smooth, only a few delicate punctures being discernible by careful examination with the lens:

their posterior margins are finely denticulated as in the preceding species. The form and position of the fins is the same as in G. punctatus, but their rays are slightly coarser and proportionally fewer in number, though it is difficult to ascertain with accuracy their numbers in the various fins. The articulations of the rays are also a little closer, but the configuration of the joints is the same, these being emarginate distally, convex proximally, and with a little furrow parallel with their anterior and posterior margins, but I have not observed any additional furrows or striæ than those near the bases of the dorsal and anal as in the Wardie species.

Geological Position and Locality.-A considerable number of examples of this species have occurred in the Blackband ironstone at Venturefair Colliery, Gilmerton, and are contained in the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art, and in the private collection of the author. A fragment in the Hunterian Museum of the University of Glasgow, from the ironstone of Possil, also a member of the Carboniferous Limestone series, though higher in position than that of Gilmerton, is probably also referable to the same.

5. On the Ruff (Machetes pugnax). By Professor Duns.

The exceedingly beautiful bird now on the table was forwarded to me on the 1st of September last by Mr Wilson, Edington Mains, Chirnside, Berwickshire. It had been shot two days previously. Mr Wilson says, "On comparing it with all the Waders figured by Bewick (the only work of the kind which I possess), I find none that correspond; whence I infer that it is really a rara avis." He adds, "When noticed by the edge of the pond by my children it had a young one with it, which they saw it feeding. The young one, they said, was much lighter in its plumage, but was old enough to fly strongly." The note led me to expect a full-grown female wader and young one. But the size of the bird and its general features of maturity showed it to be a male, in full winter plumage. Its companion, described as young, doubtless from its size, seems to have been the female, or reeve, which is little more than half the size of the male. In this respect the ruff differs from most of the sub-family Tringina, in which the females are generally larger than the males.