608 Geological Society : — 



Labyrinthodont Amphibian, which he proposed to call Micropholis 

 Stowii. The fossil was discovered by Mr. Stow, and accompanied 

 that gentleman's paper " On some Fossils from South Africa," read 

 before the Society on the 1 7th of November last, on which occasion 

 Prof. Huxley expressed the opinion that it would prove to be an 

 Amphibian, and probably a Labyrinthodont. 



It had been found impossible to work out the back part of the 

 skull, so as to exhibit the occipital condyles ; but the characters of 

 the few cranial bones which remain, of the teeth, and of the lower 

 jaw, and the traces of a largely developed hyoidean apparatus, 

 afforded sufficiently convincing evidence of the affinities of Micro- 

 pholis. 



The generic appellation is based on the occurrence of numerous 

 minute polygonal bony scutes on the integument of the under sur- 

 face of the head ; in which character Micropholis has a remote re- 

 semblance to Arcliegosaurus. The scutes, however, are very dif- 

 ferent in their aspect from those of the last-named genus. 



Micropholis has little resemblance to any European Labyrintho- 

 donts, except Metopias, and the singular so-called ** Labyrinthodon 

 Bucklandi," from the Trias of Warwickshire, to the peculiarities 

 of which the author alluded, proposing to consider it as the type of 

 a new genus, which might be termed " Basyceps'* 



On the other hand, there are two southern forms of Labyrintho- 

 dont, which exhibit many similarities to Micropholis. These are 

 the Brachyops laticeps of Prof. Owen, from Central India, and a 

 new form allied to Br achy ops ^ but distinct from it, from Australia. 

 This last was described, and named Bothriceps australis. 



The author stated that he was not prepared to draw any very 

 decided conclusion, as to the age of the Karoo- or Dicynodon-beds, 

 from the fact of the occurrence of Labyrinthodont Amphibia in 

 them, inasmuch as the Labyrinthodonts range from the Lower Lias 

 to the Carboniferous formation inclusive ; and Micropholis is unlike 

 any of the Labyrinthodonts whose precise age is known. 



The fragmentary remains of a young reptile, which were found 

 associated with Micropholis, were stated by Prof. Huxley to be 

 undoubtedly those of a Dicynodon. Of this, however, and of a 

 small Dicynodont skull from the same locality, he promised to speak 

 on a future occasion. 



The second part of the paper consisted of a description of the 

 structure of the cranium, of the sclerotic ring, of a fragmentary 

 sacrum, and of the humerus of the new species of Dicynodon (D. 

 Murrayi) from near Colesberg, which was characterized at a previous 

 meeting of the Society (February 23). Particular attention was 

 directed to the unusually complete ossification of the cranio-facial 

 axis, and to the striking resemblance in the structure of the bony 

 walls of the olfactory apparatus to that which obtains in Birds. 

 Prof. Huxley, in conclusion, gave a sketch of the general proportions 

 of the Dicynodon, so far as the evidence as yet obtained allows a 

 judgment to be formed, and particularly alluded to the existence of 

 a long series of caudal vertebrae. Specimens of the fossil wood 



