August 2, 1901.] 



SCIENCE. 



181 



As to the origin of the Sauropoda, Furbringer 

 holds that they sprang from amphibian ances- 

 tors whose quadrate was streptostylic. 



II. The author regards the lizards and snakes 

 as constituting two distinct orders. The snakes 

 are not further considered. The Lacertilia are 

 divided into five suborders, viz., Lacertilia 

 vera, Varano-Dolichosauria, Mosasauria, Am- 

 phisbtenia, and Chamfeleontia. Among the true 

 Lacertilia, the Geckos are the lowest of living 

 reptiles. In many characters the Varanidse 

 stand apart from other Lacertilia. The Mosa- 

 saurs are regarded as Lacertilia which at an 

 early period branched off from perhaps near the 

 ancestors of the Varanidse, and became pelagic. 

 The author finds in the Chamseleontia numerous 

 points of resemblance with the Lacertilia vera, 

 especially with the Uroplatidse. They are hence 

 placed closer to the lizards than in the system 

 of Boulenger, but farther removed from them 

 than in the system of Cope. 



As regards the Ichthyopterygia, Furbringer 

 holds that they possess close relationships with 

 the Rhynchocephalia, but are widely removed 

 from the Sauropterygia. The Chelonia are not 

 thought to be related to the Theromorpha, but 

 rather to the Sauropterygia. The special phy- 

 logeny of the Chelonia is veiled in darkness. 

 The Triouychidfe are oonsidered to be the low- 

 est in rank of living tortoises, the Pleurodira 

 the highest. The isolated position in which 

 Dermochelys has been placed by some writers is 

 not accepted. The small group of Mesosauria 

 of the Permian and Lower Triassic find their 

 relationships with the Sauropterygia, Chelonia 

 and Theromorpha ; nevertheless they display 

 many peculiarities. 



The Theromorpha appear in the Permian and 

 lower Triassic in great numbers and in varied 

 forms ; but with the Triassic they disappear. 

 Many of them became highly specialized, at- 

 tained considerable size, and developed, to a 

 remarkable degree, stoutness of body and of its 

 component parts. Their relationships are held 

 t5p be with the Rhynchocephalia, but not close. 

 They have no affinities with the Chelonia. In 

 connection with this group the author discusses 

 the origin of the Mammalia. His conclusion is 

 that they have spruog from no group of rep- 

 tiles, but directly from the Batrachia. 



The Crocodilia are held to be the highest of 

 living reptiles. They have distant connections 

 with the Lacertilia and the Rhynchocephalia ; 

 closer ties with the Dinosaurs. The extinct 

 groups Parasuchia and Pseudosuchia are to be 

 retained close to the crocodiles. 



In rank the Dinosauria stand above the 

 Crocodilia, with which group they show many 

 affinities. Two characters possessed by the 

 higher forms lift the Dinosauria above the Croco- 

 dilia, the upright mode of progression and the 

 development of cavities in the bones. The 

 Dinosaurs are accepted as a single order, to be 

 divided into two or three suborders. 



The Pterosauria are estimated to be the 

 highest in rank of all known Reptilia. They are 

 specially related to the crocodiles and the Dino- 

 saurs. Any close relationship to the birds is 

 rejected. 



III. Finally, the various orders are grouped 

 by our author into subclasses. The first con- 

 tains the Lacertilia, Ophidia, Rhynchocephalia 

 and Ichthyopterygia ; and for his subclass 

 Haeckel's name Tocosauria is appropriated. 

 The second subclass is constituted by the Ther- 

 omorpha. A third subclass is formed of the 

 Mesosauria, Sauropterygia and Chelonia; and to 

 this the name Synaptosauria is applied. The 

 Crocodilia, Dinosauria and Pterosauria make 

 up the subclass of Archosauria. 



O. P. Hay. 



Abierican Museum Natural History, 

 New York, July 4, 1901. 



Allegany County, Maryland. By Wm. B. Clark, 

 State Geologist. Md. Geol. Surv., Balti- 

 more, Md. 1900. 



This royal octavo volume of 323 pages, ac- 

 companied by a folio of 6 pages containing 

 topographic, geologic and soil maps of the 

 county on -a scale of one mile to the inch, is the 

 first of a series of descriptive reports by counties 

 to be published by the Maryland Survey. Not 

 only the geologj^, mineral resources and physi- 

 ography ai*e described, but also the soils, 

 climate, hydrographjr^ magnetic declination, 

 forests, flora and fauna. In addition to its 

 general scientific value, it is of unusual interest 

 to the county, presenting invaluable data for 

 the farmer and manufacturer, and furnishing a 



