September 27, 1912] 



SCIENCE 



409 



has drawn freely from Williston, Broili and 

 others in this part of the work. 



The description of two new cockroaches by 

 Dr. Sellards is of special interest, as these are 

 the first insects to be described from the Per- 

 mian of Texas. 



In the discussion of the Permian fishes of 

 North America, Dr. Hussakof points out that 

 Cope, in a series of papers between 1875 and 

 1894, created several species without justifica- 

 tion because of too fragmentary material or 

 the failure to allow for individual variation. 

 Through a restudy of Cope's types in the 

 American Museum, the Gurley Collection at 

 the University of Chicago, and with the addi- 

 tion of new material. Dr. Hussakof has added 

 four new genera, which makes 14 in all. 

 Curiously enough, however, because of sub- 

 tractions and additions, the number of species 

 is 22, the same as was given by Cope. In an 

 appended table of comparisons some interest- 

 ing things are brought out; it is pointed out 

 that the Illinois fish fauna, with the exception 

 of one group, the Petalodontidte, is duplicated 

 in the Texas fauna, a condition that indicates 

 a close relation between the faunas of these 

 two remote regions. A comparison of the 

 Texas fauna with that of Bohemia shows a 

 marked difference in the genera of the two 

 localities, although, with one exception, the 

 groups represented in each are the same. 

 From this the author draws the conclusion 

 that although the faunas must have arisen 

 from a common stock, the two regions had 

 long been separated before Permian times. 



Through oversight, most likely, a few mis- 

 takes, of minor importance, perhaps, have 

 been made to which attention should be called. 

 The statement is made that Ophiacodon mirus 

 Marsh and 0. grandis Marsh, which Marsh 

 considered reptiles, " are clearly amphibians 

 of uncertain relationships." Williston has re- 

 cently shown that 0. mirus is a reptile and 

 that 0. grandis belongs with Eryops. 



Pleuristion, which is evidently considered 

 an amphibian and is placed under the 

 Gymnarthria without comment, was treated by 

 Dr. Case in his "Revision of the Pelycosauria " 

 (p. 27). Here he is in doubt as to whether 



the genus is more closely'allied to the Pelyco- 

 saurs or the Cotylosaurs. Prom evidence - 

 furnished by the humerus, as described and 

 figured by Williston, as well as the vertebrae, 

 Pleuristion is, in all probability, a cotylosaur 

 and probably a member of the Captorhinidae. 



In the description of the humerus of Diplo- 

 caulus (p. 90) Dr. Case expresses the opinion 

 that it may be reptilian. To quote: 



" This [Diplocaulusl is the single case 

 among the Amphibia of the Texas Eed Beds, 

 or their equivalent elsewhere, in which the 

 entepicondylar foramen has been found in 

 the humerus. The opening in the humerus of 

 Acheloma cumminsi is purely accidental in 

 the opinion of Williston, Broom and the au- 

 thor. For this reason it is possible that the 

 humerus may be reptilian and in accidental 

 association." 



This hardly seems possible as these humeri 

 are found associated with many specimens of 

 Diplocaulus in the University of Chicago col- 

 lection. And, furthermore, according to 

 Broili, Cochleosaurus, an Upper Carboniferous 

 Temnospondyl, has the entepicondylar fora- 

 men present in the humerus. 



The present work will be of great interest 

 to all paleontologists and of inestimable value 

 to the student of Permian vertebrates. The 

 compilation is so complete that it will no 

 longer be necessary to turn to the original 

 papers on these groups for the information 

 desired. The text is illustrated with a great 

 many new figures as well as copies after 

 Broili, Williston and others. The plates, too, 

 are worthy of special mention. 



Maurice G. Mehl 



NOTES ON INFECTIOUS ABORTION IN 

 CATTLE 



In recent numbers of Science Dr. Eusseff 

 and Dr. MaclSTeil have called attention to the 

 fact that infectious abortion of cattle iji this 

 country is undoubtedly caused by the same 

 organism as that found in Europe. It may 



1 Russell, H. L., Science, N. S., Vol. XXXIV., 

 October 13, 1911, p. 494. MacNeU, W. J., Sci- 

 ence, N. S., Vol., XXXIV., December 22, 1911, 

 p. 874. 



