404 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



designates the two groups as the sub-class Synapsida, or primitively 

 single-arched reptiles, and Diapsida, or primitively two-arched. All 

 the most primitive Diapsida are placed in the super-order Diaptosauria, 

 a group equivalent in taxonomic rank to the Squamata or Dinosauria. 

 He describes the reptiles falling within these two groups. He concludes 

 that the birds probably originated from a group of Diaptosauria,. 

 identical with or closely related to that which gave rise to the Dino- 

 sauria. It is not true that birds have descended from Dinosaurs, but 

 there is very strong evidence that birds and Dinosaurs are descended 

 from a common stock. There is no question that the mammals are 

 affiliated with the sub-class Synapsida, as is seen in their skull and 

 shoulder-girdle structure, and in phalangeal formula. As to their 

 nearer relationships, they appear to be with the super-order Anomodontia. 

 The divergence of the mammal stem from these typical reptiles will 

 probably be found to have occurred in the Permian or Lower Trias of 

 South Africa. In fact, Broom has recently described what he believes 

 to be a mammal jaw (Karoomys) from the Karoo Beds of South 

 Africa. 



New European Lizard.* — M. G. Paracca describes from Sardinia 

 Avhat seems to be a distinct species (L. sardou sp. n.), allied to L. oxy- 

 cephala, but yet quite separate from it and allied species. 



Notes on Reptiles.f — Franz Werner has made a careful comparison 

 of the scales in two young Boids (Epicrates angulifer) and in their 

 mother. In regard to twenty-five points there was a lack of complete 

 hereditary resemblance, and in some cases the variation was very 

 marked. 



In a second note he discusses the symptoms of approaching natural 

 death as exhibited in peculiar attitudes, in colour-change, in the look 

 of the eye, etc., in snakes, lizards, and other reptiles. 



Vegetarian habits are exhibited by more reptiles than is usually 

 supposed, e.g. by many Chelonians and lizards. There is perhaps no 

 single reptile which altogether rejects animal food, and, with the ex- 

 ception of the land tortoises and the leguans, most of the vegetarian 

 forms are so only occasionally. In all the families of lizards the largest 

 and most massive species are vegetarian. 



The author also discusses variability in reptiles, with especial reference 

 to scales and coloration, e.g. in Zamenis gemonensis and Lacerta muralis. 



An Abnormal Tortoise.! — B. Wandolleck describes in detail a 

 monstrosity of a tortoise, which had been called Testudo marginata, but 

 turned out to be T. gneca, with a hump on its back and all sorts of 

 abnormalities in the vertebral column, ribs, carapace, and scales. There 

 must have been some remarkable inhibition of the normal growth : that 

 is all that can be said. 



Existing Genera of TrionychidaB.§ — 0. P. Hay reviews critically 

 the genera of the Trionychidaj as founded by various authors. He 



* Bull. Mus. Torino, xviii. (1903) 3 pp., 1 fig. See Zool. Centralbl. xi. (1904) 

 p. 156. f Biol. Centralbl., xxiv. (1904) pp. 332-48 (1 fig.). 



X Zool. Jalirb., xx. (1904) pp. 151-66 (4 figs.). 

 § Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc., xlii. (1903) pp. 268-74. 



