New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-11-16

main in the curve OF the very last PAIR OF the
column This is observed not only in this fish,
but iu many other fishes-in fact among all those
bony fishes whose young have been observed within
the egg Now we VIII that that same form OF tail
is seen in these bony fishes OF ancient types. All
fishes in the coal and below the coal, which have
bpny skeleton, have such termination OF the tai
ard IL is on " in its secondary strata in the interme
diate epoch of succession of animals that we find
the tail becoming more and more regular. You
see here only a slight obquity lett. This is fish
from the chalk. Among the fishes of our day We
have only the sturgeon which has tins carlsginous
vertebral column. and in the tribe OF cartaglnous
fish at large those whose skeleton never becomes
bony-the sharks and skates-we have also that
irregular prolongstion OF the vertebra column
Ills matter Of surprise even now, aud OF course
was more surprising when first discovered, that
there should be such strict correspondence be
tween the form of ancient fishes. which alone pos
sessed the waters OF former days, and the changes
which we now see going on in oil the young fishes
within the egg. These changes correspond pre-
cisey TO the order of succession of fishes in geolog
ical epOchs. so much So that more than once have
been able from this 10 establish the species and
even the geological epoch to which fossil fish be
long. la this country there is full series of stra-
ia containing fossil fishes which all show IN their
structure such position OF their Italian oblique
termination, not this symmetry eye must
be between the coal and the oolitic series have
seen beautiful series OF these fishes in the coec-
ton of a scientific gentleman in this city-the most
beautiful. indeed. that have
This correspondence of structure between the
egg of fishes and the growth OF the embryo - one
OF the matters which can be established perhaps,
only IN class of animals whose structure has been
fully ascertaned. could show some examples
among the scephalH of the mollusca because they
have been better studied than other types But
the fact being that there is such astrict cores
pondence between the phenomena observed In the
growth of individuals aud the succession OF geolo-
sicaI epochs | venture TO maintain what have
already asserted that all classihceiOns in which we
should not find such an agreement must be deiec
tive and can have been constructed only on account
Of want of iuiormstion. In Nature, when We have
s.cer,sined rule fsuch an extent we are safe In
regarding il rs the general rule because there have
been observed such exceptions Ia organic life
(Applause)
sce tins fayorite subject Of mine has already
lcd me beyoud the limit OF time % be devoted 10
this class of animals | must therefore, ahridse
yybat vel remains 10 be said of fishes IN order that
NAV be able to co through that class IN tins even
iDgs lecture ee-L -
There is one point in the structure OF nshes 70
which must sllude as it Is important IN IT'S pear
ing on the study of fossil fishes. refer TO the
scales of fishes .
Nataralists have usually classified the hshes ~
their fins. uniting first the fishes which nave
bopy skeleton and those winch have carulselhous
skeleton, uniting iOg instance. the skates. sharhs
and surgeons into one order-then all hsnes WIN
bony or hard skeleton in another order snd tue.
subdlyidlng these two primary groups by the posi-
lion of their fins Covier adopted these primary dlvi-
sous and arranged the fishes into two great groups
those with only soft rays in their FMS and those
which had DOT obly sof rays bat spnes also rising
as YOU see here--bard spnes on the anterior OF the
a,r.al fms aud soft rays backward