VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY IN 191 1 579 



formed on the mammalian type and we lose for the first time 

 the quadratojugal. We also get most marked mammalian 

 characters in the postcranial skeleton. . . . 



" Almost all the characters in which the cynodont skull 

 differs from the therocephalians are characters met with in 

 mammals. Of these the most noteworthy are : (1) formation of 

 a secondary palate ; (2) vomer very large, extending forward as 

 a support to the secondary palate ; (3) great reduction or com- 

 plete loss of prevomers (Bauria); (4) loss of the postfrontal 

 bone ; (5) great reduction or loss of the pineal foramen ; (6) two 

 occipital condyles ; (7) reduction of the quadrate ; (8) a large 

 alisphenoid bone instead of the homologous rod-like ' epiptery- 

 goid ' or columella cranii of the therocephalians and anomodonts ; 

 (9) pterygoids not extending back to the quadrates, the posterior 

 extension being replaced by the alisphenoids ; (10) reduction of 

 the angular and surangular and greater development of the 

 dentary [bones of the lower jaw]." 



In a second communication Dr. Broom (op. cit. pp. 1073- 

 82) describes a number of new forms of these mammal-like 

 reptiles from the Permian of Beaufort West, four of them being 

 made the types of new genera. One of the most interesting of 

 the latter {Dicelnrodon whaitsi) resembles Owen's genus Endo- 

 thiodon in having a numerous series of columnar teeth the 

 surfaces of which form a kind of pavement on the sides of the 

 jaw ; it is also furnished with a large pair of upper tusks like 

 those of a dicynodon. 



The remarkable and gigantic South African Triassic or 

 Permian reptile named Erythrosuchus africanus forms the sub- 

 ject of an elaborate memoir by Mr. F. von Huene (Geol. 11. Pal. 

 Abkundlungen, vol. xiv. pt. i, art. 1), by whom it is regarded as 

 representing a distinct ordinal group, the Pelycosimia. This 

 group is considered to be a derivative from the pelycosaurian 

 type, in which openings were developed in the temporal region of 

 the skull, which migrated to Gondwanaland {i.e. Indo-Africa). 



Turning to the amphibian stegocephalians, it has first of all 

 to be mentioned that in vol. xxxix. pp. 489-93 of the Proceedings 

 of the U.S. National Museum, Mr. R. L. Moodie has described a 

 species from the Kansas Coal Measures which is of interest on 

 account of the rarity of such remains in that formation and also 

 from its own intrinsic characters. This labyrinthodont, for 

 which the new genus and species Erpetosuchus kansensis is pro- 



