Neiu South African Fossil Amphibians and Reptiles. Ill 



Procoloplwn. In both, the head is similar in being continued up to a 

 point externally. In Procolophon the deltoid ridge is separated from 

 the head and has a very similar structure. The lower end of the 

 bone differs only that in Procolophon the outer condyle is pointed and 

 the inner rounded, whereas in the large Ecca type the inner is 

 pointed and the outer rounded. In the Pelycosauria the humerus is 

 somewhat similar but less like than in Procolophon. 



While it is impossible to say with certainty to which order the 

 new humerus belongs, we may safely affirm that it does not belong to 

 any of the Therapsidan groups, the humerus being well known in 

 the Anomodontia, Therocephalia, Dinocephalia, and Cynodontia, and 

 being of quite a different type. Nor is there any resemblance to the 

 humerus of Pareiasaurus. On the other hand, the close resemblance 

 to that of Procolophon, and the less-marked affinity with that of other 

 early Diaptosaurian types, seems to indicate that the new genus, 

 which I propose to call Eccasaurus, is a prinaative Diaptosaurian 

 which probably belongs to a distinct and new sub-order. 



HELEOPHILUS ACUTUS, g. et sp. nov. 



The type of new form is a very fragmentary skeleton found by 

 myself at Victoria West. It consists of a crushed skull with both 

 mandibles, a few very imperfect cervical vertebrae, and a fragmentary 

 foot. 



The skull, which measures 28 mm. in length and about 14 mm. in 

 breadth, resembles in general characters, so far as preserved, that of 

 Heleosaurus scholtzi. The mandibles are fairly well preserved, 

 portions of the premaxillaries and maxillaries, and crushed fragments 

 of the palate. 



The premaxillary appears to have had about 3 teeth, and the 

 maxillary about 15. These are long rounded pointed teeth, which 

 when fully grown become anchylosed to the bone, as in Procolophon. 

 When immature they are in sockets. There are no indications of 

 serrations. 



The neck is probably a little shorter than the head, but is so badly 

 preserved that it is impossible to clearly define the vertebrae and to 

 say where it ends. The remains of a foot are seen lying a little 

 behind the supposed posterior end of the neck. There are four fairly 

 well preserved metatarsals (supposing the foot to be a posterior one), 

 the 1st measuring 2-7, the 2nd 5-5 apparently, the 3rd 6'7, and the 

 4th about 7'5. The 5th is only represented by faint indications. 

 The 4th supports 5 slender phalanges. The phalanges of the other 



