404 DA VISON. [Vol. XI. 



twisted cord. Both incubate the eggs by lying in a coil about 

 them. In their larval life the young of IchtJiyophis possess 

 gills and dwell in the water. Hay's embryos of AmpJihmia, 

 evidently near the period of hatching, had well developed gills. 

 The young specimens I secured last February were found 

 under rocks near the water, indicating that their transforma- 

 tion from aquatic to land habits had lately been accomplished. 

 All these superficial features common to the two genera indi- 

 cate affinity; but by far the stronger evidence of their affinity 

 is based on the structure of the soft parts as well as the skele- 

 tal elements. The peculiar disposition of the fascial invest- 

 ment in AmpJiumia is also seen in IcJitJiyopliis. The dorsal 

 lamina arising from the neural spines splits into two plates 

 before reaching the lateral line, and one enters the body cavity 

 to give rise to the transversus abdominis, which is unaffected 

 by the inscriptiones tendineae probably on account of its late 

 formation in the embryo. The omo-humero-maxillaris is ab- 

 sent in all urodels except the Coeciliidae and Amphiumidae. 

 The lungs of Amphimna are very unequal in length, a condi- 

 tion characteristic of the Coecilians, according to MacAlister. 

 There is also a striking similarity in the trachea of the two 

 families. Wiedersheim speaks thus of the Gymnophiona: "Die 

 Luftrohre ist entsprechend den weit nach hinten geriickten 

 Lungen fur ein Amphibiem von sehr bedeutender Lange und 

 componirt sich aus zahlreichen hyalinknorpeligen Ringen, 

 welche dorsalwarts nicht geschlossen sind, sondern hier durch 

 Bindgewebe ersetzt werden." As I have already shown, the 

 trachea of Amphimna is comprehended in the above descrip- 

 tion of a Coecilian. The brain of the young AmpJiiuma is 

 much more unlike the brain of the adult than the latter is un- 

 like the brain of Siphonops annnlatus, as figured by Wieders- 

 heim. The distribution of the cranial nei-ves in the two species 

 is almost identical. 



In Siphonops annnlatus, Coccilia rostrata, Coccilia oxyura and 

 IcJithyophis glntinosus Weidersheim has figured and described 

 an orbital gland and peculiar tentacular apparatus of the nasal 

 region. This apparatus consists of a canal beginning posteri- 

 orly to the eye, whence it extends forward to its external orifice 



