On some Gorgonopsian Skulls. 509 



The snout is as high as broad, and rounded in section. The 

 nostrils are almost terminal and as far as can be seen, were not 

 overhung 1 to any extent by the somewhat straight front of the nasals. 



The chief features of the palate can best be understood by refe- 

 rence to the ligure reproduced herewith. The central vault is some- 

 what narrow and cordate, the ridges which bound it being formed 

 partly of pterygoids and partly of palatines. The lateral vaultnng 

 is very pronounced, the highest portion of the vaults being at about 

 the middle of the ectopterygoids. The interclmanal bar is mainly 

 formed of the prevomers. the suture between which is plainly seen; 

 but the posterior narrow part of the bar has its under surface 

 formed by the palatines. These are large wing-shaped hones. The 

 ptervgoids form most of the roof of the median vaulted area, but 

 are widely separated from the prevomers. In the ligure given there 

 seems at first sight to be a small longitudinal median hone lying 

 on the roof of the palate between the pterygoids - - i. e., occupying 

 the position assigned by Watson to the vomer in Therapsid skulls. 

 But I am of the opinion that the line shown in the drawing as 

 bounding the left of this area is not a suture but a crack. It is 

 not continuous, whereas the other longitudinal line continues hack 

 to the very small interpterygoid vacuity. This latter line I inter- 

 pret as the median suture between the two pterygoids, thus eli- 

 minating the presence of the vonier on the palate. 



The ridges bounding the vaulted area carry no teeth. 



The brain-case and occiput are not preserved, nor can the epi- 

 pterygoid be seen. 



SYCOSAURUS'LATICEPS, gen. et sj. nov. 



The beautiful skull which forms the type of this new genus and 

 species was collected for the South African Museum by the Rev. 

 .1. II. \Vhaits on the farm /uurplaats in the Division of Graaff 

 Reinet, C. P. A number of interesting details are presented by it. 

 both on the dorsal and ventral surfaces. 



The front of the snout is weathered, but the live incisors are 

 shown. They are large teeth, oval in cross-section, with their 

 pointed crowns serrated on the anterior edge. There is a diastema 

 of I!) mm. between the 5th incisor and the large canine, which 'is 

 closely followed by 5 small molars. Both canine and molars are 

 oval in cross-section and the latter certainly are serrated on their 

 anterior edges. 



The anterior end of the nasal is missing and the details of the 

 nostril are not decipherable. The septo-rnaxillary foramen is com- 



