304 PALAEONTOLOGY. 



1st Family. The RANID^E. Composed of those which, 

 like the frog, have no tail in adult life. To this group belong 

 the Paltfobatrachus, from the sub-apennine stage near Bonn; 

 Pal&ophrynos and Palesophilus are from the sub-apennine of 

 (Eningen ; to the existing genus liana we refer some extinct 

 species from the falunian and the sub-apennine stages of 

 "Weisenau. 



2nd Family. The SALAMA^DRIDJB. Formed of the 

 genera provided with a tail. To this group belongs the 

 famous fossil skeleton from the sub-apennine of (Eningen, 

 which Scheuchtzer mistook for a human skeleton, and 

 described under the name Homo diluvii testis. The 

 Baron Cuvier detected and exposed this error. He 

 demonstrated, beyond all doubt, that the bones belonged 

 to an extinct salamander, Andrias Scheitehtzeri (fig. 209), 

 the length of which was nearly five feet. Fossil species 

 of the existing genus Salamandra are found, with fossil 

 Rana, in the falunian, and the sub-apennine stages of 

 Sansan. 



In reviewing the history of fossil reptiles, we find that 

 they have obeyed a law of distribution nearly allied to that 

 which we have already described in the history of fossil fishes. 

 They were created towards the close of the palaeozoic epoch, 

 and lived in the subsequent periods of the earth's eventful 

 history. 



Reptiles do not exhibit any growing progression in their 

 typical forms ; for the genera which lived in the past ages, 

 and have left their remains in the earth's layers, are three 

 times more numerous than those which exist at the present 

 time. 



The study of these remains shows that there has been a 

 successive replacing of animal forms, some of which were 

 ephemeral, others were more persistent, whilst in all there has 

 been many singular departures from the typical structure 

 of reptiles among the ancient forms, when compared with the 

 living representatives of the class. 



The Saurians, which are the most highly organised order, 

 were created towards the close of the palceozoic epoch : the 

 Protorosaurus, from the Permian strata of Thuringia, attests 

 this fact. They increased in generic forms in the triasic, and 

 had their maximum development in the oolitic and wealden 



