FOSSIL CAINOSAURIA. 511 



with that of Epicrium glutinosum. Each vertebra has a slightly 

 different shape. The tail vertebrae are smaller and shorter, and have 

 weak zygapophyses, and are perforated in the middle of the side as 

 though for the passage of an intervertebral nerve. The ribs of the 

 neck at the sixteenth vertebra are twice as long as the centrum. The 

 dorsal ribs show towards the proximal end two peculiar processes. 

 The proximal end is bent at nearly a right angle to the body of the 

 rib ; the processes occur at the flexure, one is dorsal, and the other 

 has a ventral direction. These processes present some analogy to the 

 uncinate processes on the ribs of birds. 



Other Permian types in this country are Dasyceps and Lepidoto- 

 saurus. In Russia, Zygosaurus and Melosaurus. The Trias yields 

 Mastodonsaurus, Capitosaurus, Trematosaurus, Metopias, Labyrintho- 

 don, Diadetognathus ; from Australia, Bothriceps ; from South Africa, 

 Micropholis ; from India, Gonioglyptas and Pachygonia ; and Bra- 

 chyops, which is said to be Jurassic. 



The modern batrachians are only found in the Tertiary strata. 

 They include species of Rana, Palceobatrachus, Asphcerion, Latonia, 

 Pelophilus, Pelceophrt/nos, and the Urodelians are the great Andreas, 

 Triton and Orthophya. Fossil amphibians of the Trias, like Masto- 

 donsaurus, attain to a larger size than living types, and the ancient 

 amphibia are in no sense the ancestors of the living amphibia ; so 

 there is no evidence of evolution of existing reptilia from fossil reptilia, 

 because the surviving reptiles are less specialised or degraded forms. 

 Types become degraded because higher organisms in the existing con- 

 dition of nature restrict the conditions of their activity, in much the 

 same way that the higher branches of the human race affect aboriginal 

 races. 



Fossil Reptiles. The Secondary Eocks have often been termed 

 the Age of Reptiles. 



The reptilia are divided into two sections ; first, Cainosauria, 

 which comprises the Lacertilia and Ophidia ; and, secondly, Palceo- 

 sauria, which includes Rhynchocephalia, Chelonia, Crococfilia, Plesio- 

 sauria, Anomodontia, Ichthyosauria, and Dinosauria. The Caino- 

 sauria attain their maximum development in the existing life of the 

 world, but all the groups of the Palseosauria (except, perhaps, the 

 Chelonia) have their chief development in the Secondary rocks. 



CAINOSAURIA. Ophidia. Very little is known of serpents in a 

 fossil state. The oldest serpent yet known is the sea-serpent of the 

 London Clay and Bracklesham beds, Palceophis, which reached a 

 length of from twelve to twenty feet. From Hordwell the genus 

 Paleryx is obtained, which closely resembles Eryx. A poisonous 

 serpent has been described from Salonica under the name Laophis. 

 Coluber is known from the schists of ^Eningen. 



Pylhonomorpha. Under this name Professor Cope indicated Mosa- 

 saurus and its allies. Professor Owen regards these animals as a family 

 of the Lacertilia. The Lacertilia might certainly be subdivided into 

 several sub-orders, and there can be no reason for hesitating to admit 

 Mosasanrus to at least the same rank. The name Pythonomorpha is 



