1899] VERTEBRATE PALAEONTOLOGY rsg 



t it >i i of the Fishes (page 27) is entirely unnatural, as ii fails to set forth the 

 phylogenetic relations of the Pishes, and confuses the studenl as to the types 

 which are actually most nearly allied. 



Passing to the Amphibia, it may be noted (p. 125) that among the chief 

 distinctions of the Stegocephalia, the paired condyle is not mentioned. This 

 is very important, because flic condyle furnishes one of the only means <>l 

 separating these animals from the Pareiasauria. Upon p, II"! the author 

 gives :i, very clear conception of what at the present time appears i<> be the 

 natural grouping of the Lleptilia, but the tabular classification upon p. Ill 

 hardly conforms with the conceptions there set forth. It appears i<> the 

 reviewer evident, that the I 'areiasauria, with their solid skulls, entirely lacking 

 temporal fossae (except perhaps in Procolophon), should be sharply Bet apart 

 from the A.nomodontia. As regards (he. use of the term Auiomodontia in 

 preference to Cope's "Theromorpha," it may lie pointed out thai it was 

 originally defined and repeatedly used by Owen to include die Dicynodonts 



only, and it. can scarcely he stretched In include the Theriodonfs, with their 



complete dentition, and much less the Pareiasauria with no arcades at all. In 

 the diagrams and subsequent treatment of the temporal arches, the lower arch 

 is referred in as if it represented a concrescence of I »< »i h upper and lower 



arches. 'This is certainly the case, in the Iclifhyosauria, but not so certainly in 



the other types, [t appears undesirable to perpetuate Cope's term "Pythono 

 morpha," because Cope wholly failed to substantiate his claim in opposition to 



Owen, that, these animals were in any way related to the Ophidia. Their 

 entire, structure lends to support the theory of Owen, |>o||o, and I'.aur, that 



they branched off from well defined Lizards quite independently of the Snake 

 phylum. 



Another surprising feature in this work is the entire absence of mention of the 

 important group of Placodontia, animals which an' ordinarily placed among the 



anoinodonl re pi iles, line, examples of which are Ion nil in the British MuS6Uttl. No 



reference is made either to AetosauritSf import ant ami interesting because if .shows 

 (he complete dermal armature of the Belodont type, [t is important to note, 



however, that I he author throughout his treatment of the lleptilia, shows a, 



very clear and critical perception of the relations of different types, ami makes 

 many original suggestions of value. While retaining Belodon among the 

 Crocodilia, he, strongly hints at its relations with the, Dinosauria, as observed 



l»y Fraas, and one cannot compare the line remains of /!(/<>i/<>n and ZcLTldodon 



in the Stuttgart collection without being struck by the ,. iron" resemblance 

 between the i wo. 



It should lie made clear, in closing, thai the above discussion of the work 



has hardly left space, in which to point out its many valuable qualities. It 



will find its way into every laboratory where Vertebrate Anatomy is being 



studied, anil will serve, to emphasise, more strongly Ihan ever the, principle for 

 which Huxley and ('ope BO long contended, that Vertebrate Ana.foiuy is Only 



comprehensible by the Light of Palaeontology : that the only difference between 



the fossil and recent animal is that, "one has lieen dead longer than the other. 



il. v. o. 



The Rabbit. \\y J. E. Earting. 8vo, pp. viii. \ lT><">. Illustrations. 

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