VERTEBRATE PALAEONTOLOGY IN 1914 637 



some of the American pelycosaurians. The sub-group Dino- 

 cephalia, as typified by the African Tapinocephalus, figures largely 

 in this paper, which also contains descriptions of three new 

 genera and species. 



Very interesting is the suggestion that the stapes of the 

 mammalian ear represents the hyomandibular of fishes, which 

 articulates with the quadrate; and it is probable that in the 

 embolomerous Stegocephalia, which have just arisen from 

 [crossopterygian] fishes, the primitive connection between the 

 distal end of the hyomandibular, or stapes, and the quadrate 

 still persists. 



Procolophon trigoniceps, a. cotylosaurian reptile from South 

 Africa, is the title of another paper by Mr. Watson in the journal 

 last quoted (pp. 735-47), in which it is shown that the genus 

 represents a group of the cotylosaurian section of the mammal- 

 like reptiles very different from the one including Pariasaurus 

 and its allies. Procolophon is, in fact, the latest of the Coty- 

 losauria, and therefore exhibits several specialised features 

 unknown in the earlier forms, such as the large size of the 

 quadrato-jugal and orbits, the peculiar type of humerus and 

 dentition, and the inclusion of three vertebrae in the sacrum. 



In some respects the most interesting of all Mr. Watson's 

 contributions during the year to our knowledge of primitive 

 tetrapods is one on a limb-bone from the Lower Carboniferous 

 of Scotland, which apparently represents a true reptile. This 

 article— illustrated with a plate— is published in the Geological 

 Magazine (decade 6, vol. i. pp. 347-8), where the new generic 

 and specific designation Papposaurus traquairi is proposed for 

 this " grandfather of all the reptiles." The result of recent 

 investigation has been to show that the embolomerous stego- 

 cephalian amphibians of the Carboniferous Burdiehouse Lime- 

 stone of Scotland are more or less intimately related to the 

 cotylosaurian reptiles ; and when more is known oi Papposaurus, 

 it may prove to be the missing link between amphibians and 

 reptiles. 



In yet another communication {Geol Mag. decade 6, vol. i. 

 pp. 395-8) Mr. Watson reopens the question as to the nature 

 of the animal which made the well-known footprints in the 

 Trias of Cheshire and elsewhere, described as Chirotherium. 

 The apparent fact that these tracks were made by a digiti- 

 grade animal, coupled with other circumstances, leads the 

 42 



