38 THE DESCENT OF THE PRIMATES 



tend to emphasize the possibility of a more 

 direct comparison between mammals and Am- 

 phibia than between mammals and Sauropsida. 

 In this way Klaatsch^ calls attention to the close 

 relations existing between the intestinal arteries 

 of mammals and the most prim.itive arrange- 

 ments of these vessels among amphibians. Else- 

 where he declares that the mammals must be 

 connected with very primitive forms that have 

 already diverged from the common stem of the 

 Ohordata below the point of divergence of the 

 amphibians now living. Howes^ makes a direct 

 comparison between the amphibian epiglottis and 

 that of the mammals. Eabl^ states that the 

 formation of the heart is accomplished in the 

 same way in amphibians and mammals. Mau- 

 rer* comes to the conclusion that with respect 

 to the epidermal sense-organs and the hairs, the 

 mammals diverge considerably from the Saurop- 

 sida, whereas the connection with the Amphibia 

 seems to be all the more close. 



In the definite settling of this question pala3on- 



1 H. Klaatsch, Zur Morphologie der Mesenterialbildungen 

 am Darmcaual der Wirbelthiere. Morphol. Jahrb., Bd. 18, 

 §643. 



^ G. Howes, Proceed. Zool. Society of London, 1887, p. 50. 



3 C. Eabl, Morpbologisches Jahrbucb, Bd. 12, p. 273. 



* F. Maurer, Morpbologisches Jahrbucb, Bd. 18. 



