182 Messrs. Hancock & Atthey on a new 



XX. — On a new Labyrinthodont Amphibian from the Northum- 

 berland Goal-field^ and on the occurrence in the same locality 

 of Anthracosaums Kusselli. By Albany Hancock, F.L.S., 

 and Thos. Atthey. 



We have recently obtained from the black shale associated 

 with the Low-main seam at Newsham Colliery, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the remains of a small 

 amphibian belonging to Prof. Huxley's genus Urocordylus'^. 

 This is the second generic form that has occurred to us in this 

 locality of the interesting series described by that learned 

 palaeontologist from the Jarrow Colliery, in the county of 

 Kilkenny, Ireland. We propose to name this species Urocor- 

 dylus reticulatus. We have adopted the specific denomination 

 reticulatus as expressive of the reticulated structure of the sur- 

 face of the cranial bones. The specimen now before us is 

 composed of the head and twenty-three or twenty-four ver- 

 tebrae in a continuous series ; the dorsal aspect of the head is 

 exposed to view, and the vertebrae lie with their left sides 

 uppermost. The entire length of the specimen is 2$ inches. 

 The head, which is much crushed and injured by the fracture 

 of the bones, is of a subtriangular form, with the posterior 

 region truncated, and tapering in front to a short rounded 

 snout; and there are two large curved horns projecting back- 

 wards from the occipital region, like those of Keraterpeton'\ . 

 In Prof. Huxley's species, the horns were not observed ; but 

 this is not to be wondered at, for the head was in a very bad 

 state of preservation. In our specimen, too, the bones are so 

 much broken up that it is impossible to determine their forms ; 

 the surface, however, of several of them is in excellent con- 

 dition, and exhibits, in the most distinct manner, a coarse 

 reticulated structure of elevated ridges or lines, which, from 

 the elongation of the meshes in some of the bones, have the 

 appearance of strong, raised, parallel stri^. The head mea- 

 sures from the snout to the occipital margin ^^ in., in width 

 at the broadest part ^ in. ; the horns are f^ in. in length. 



Two or three teeth are distinguishable in one of the man- 

 dibles, but are somewhat injured ; they are small, have the 

 sides nearly parallel, and are slightly curved ; the apices are 

 apparently abruptly pointed. The sternal plates are distinctly 

 displayed, but are in a much distiu-bed condition ; all the 

 three, however, can be made out, two of them being much 



* " On a Collection of Fossil Vertebrata from the Jarrow Colliery, 

 County of Kilkenny, Ireland," by Thos. H. Huxley and E. Perceval 

 Wright (Trans. Eoyal Irish Academy, 1867, vol. xxiv.). 



t See op. cit. 



