Section IV., 1904 [ 77 ] Trans. R. S. C 



IV. — New Species and a new Genus of Batrachian Footprints of the 

 Carboniferous System in Eastern Canada. 



By a. F. Matthew, D.Sc, LL.D. 



(Read June 23, 1904.) 



Last year the author of this article described in the Canadian 

 Record of Science, Montreal, a number of new genera of Palaeozoic foot- 

 prints based on material from the Coal-Measures and Lower Carboni- 

 ferous preserved in the museums of McGill University, Montreal, and 

 that of the Geological Survey at Ottawa. Types for these genera were 

 figured and cited, and this article is written to describe these types more 

 fully, and also to describe and figure other species of these genera. 



PSEUDOBRADYPUS.^ 



This remarkable form was described by Sir Wm. Dawson under the 

 name of Sauropus unguifer. He directs attention to the great claw on 

 the fifth digit, of the hind foot, but seemingly did not notice that the 

 claws on the other toes were also long. From the way these claws are 

 tangled and crossed one might surmise that the creature did not habitu- 

 ally live on the ground, and that the foot was not adapted for such use. 

 The hind foot, which is the one usually observed had a long sole and a 

 prominent heel. Tihc heel was not elcngate longitudinally, but trans- 

 versely; there v/as also a very decided instep or hollow in the sole in 

 front of the heel. The hind foot in this animal was a powerful mem- 

 ber for grasping, and would seem to have been adapted like that of the 

 sloth for climbing in trees. 



In walking this animal left a heavy tread which perhaps was partly 

 caused by the weight being thrown on the hind feet, as it is only at in- 

 tervals the print of the fore foot is seen. Notwithstanding the clumsy 

 outfit for walking the animal appears to have moved rapidly, as the 

 stride is twice as long as the space between the two rows of footmarks. 

 The long interval between the footsteps also indicates legs of some 

 length. 



Sir William Dawson's description states that there were five toes to 

 the liind foot, and four to the fore foot, with a doubtful fifth toe. 



The figure of this species, which is a rough presentation of its form, 

 will be found in Geol. Magazine, London, Series 1, vol. ix. p. 251-253. 



The generic name is in allusion to remarkable grasping power pos- 

 sessed by the foot in which it resembled the sloths. 



» Can. Rec. Sci.. Vol. IX., No. 2, p. 109. 



