354 Miscellaneous. by Dr. Baur himself not to be constant ; and I presume it will ulti-mately be found that his observation was made on an injured specimen. In his latest paper on the classification of the Pleurodira Dr. Baur gives as one of the characters of the family Chelydidse the presence of a nuchal shield, and includes Elseya, overlooking that that genus was established on the absence of a nuchal. So much for Dr. Baur's accuracy in dealing with facts. His want of judgment as to what constitute family characters is best shown in his classification of the Pleurodira, where one neural plate more or less (often merely an individual peculiarity) is regarded as a family character, except in the Chelydidte, where, better informed, he admits their variation from 7 to ! Pelomedusa, which is placed by him with Podocnemis in the family Pelomedusida), is beyond question much more nearly related to Sternotlmrus, which, in his system, forms another family. As there is not at present the slightest reason for splitting the Pelomedusidse, or Pleurodira with meso-plastra, into several families, the new terms Mesoplastralia and Amesoplastralia were uncalled for, and only show, together with the proposal of a new name (Erymnochelys) to replace Dumerilia, pre-occupied and a synonym of Podocnemis, the unfortunate fondness of the author for coining names whenever the slightest opportunity oflPers. A Comparison of the Cretaceous Fish-fmma of Mount Lebanon with that of the English Chalk *. By A. Smith Woodwakd, F.G.S., r.z.s. No detailed comparison having hitherto been instituted between the Cretaceous fish-fauna of Mount Lebanon and that of the English Chalk, which belongs to a well-determined horizon, the author has undertaken a general survey of the genera, with the result that the two faunas are proved to have more forms in common than hitherto supposed. The Selachian fishes are scarcely comparable, Notidanus and Squatina being the only genera as yet recognized in the two formations, although the English teeth named Lamna rhaphiodon seem to belong to the Syrian shark named JRJdnognathus ; on the whole, those of Mount Lebanon exhibit the most modern facies, all traces of Hybodont Sharks and of Ptychodus being wanting, Chimffiroids are unknown at Mount Lebanon, but abundantly met with in the English Chalk. Among Ganoids there are representatives of the Pycnodonts both in the Lebanon (Pala'oba-listwn, Coccodus, Xenopholis) and in England (Coelodns), but no identical genera can yet be recognized. Bhombic-scaled Ganoids are rare in the English Chalk {Lophiostomus, Neorhomholepis), and unknown in Mount Lebanon ; traces of Acipenseroids also occur in the former, but have not been discovered in the latter ; and at least one Crossopterygian genus occurs plentifully in England {Macropo-* Abstract of paper read before Section C, British Association, Bath, September 1888.
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