661 
Nachdruck verboten. 
The Vertebral Column of certain primitive Urodela: Spelerpes, 
Plethodon, Desmognathus. 
By J. A. Murray, B. Sc., Edinburgh. 
(From the Anatomie Freiburg i. B.) 
With 3 Figures. 
During a short stay in Freiburg this year, I undertook, at the 
suggestion of Professor WIEDERSHEIM, a comparative anatomical study 
of the vertebral column of Spelerpes, Plethodon, and Desmo- 
gnathus. 
It was hoped that the condition in these primitive forms would 
give a decisive answer to the question of the double nature of verte- 
bree, and help to define the morphological conceptions concerned. The 
results will be given below. 
For the valuable material and much kindly assistance and criticism, 
I am indebted to Professor WIEDERSHEIM. 
I. Spelerpes fuscus!). 
The cartilaginous chordal sheath is continuous and uninterrupted 
by joints, from the first trunk vertebra to the end of the tail (Fig. 1). 
It is narrower vertebrally, 
where the notochord is 
itself cartilaginous (or re- 
placed by cartilage), and 
wider intervertebrally 
where its matrix is less 
perfectly hyaline. 
The osseous verte- 
bral body is closely ap- 
plied to the cartilaginous 
Fig. 1. Spelerpes fus- 
eus, adult. Horizontal section 
of two trunk vertebr&,. Bone, 
black; outline of cell-spaces in 
cartilage indicated. ch. chorda 
dorsalis, lig. ligament. 
1) The beautiful Spelerpes material was obtained from Genua through 
the kindness of Professor G. Carranno. 
