84 Heviews — Br. Frifsch's Permian Amphibia of Bohemia. 



long as the head, and the tail more than twice as long as the body. 

 The limbs have a development which suggests locomotion by walking, 

 and the small height of the processes of the caudal vertebra would 

 indicate a comparatively bad swimmer. The skeleton is completely 

 ossified, even the carpus and tarsus being here preserved. No in- 

 dication of the skin is preserved, but there is a shield of strong 

 armour which covers two-thirds of the width of the abdominal 

 surface, and extends between the thoracic plates and the pelvis. 

 This shield consists of more than forty rows of long rhomboid 

 plates, directed obliquely backward from the median line, and 

 Las about eight keeled plates in each row. Each plate has four cir- 

 cular pits on its inner edge, which resemble the pits on the 

 cranial bones. In the skull deep depressions in front of the nasal 

 bones indicate the nares. The circular pits on the skull are absent 

 from the inner part of the frontal bone. The premaxillary teeth, 

 five on each side, are pointed, and constricted towards the base so 

 as to have a spoon-shaped contour. There are about eleven or 

 twelve teeth in the maxillary bone in one row. As the number 

 of teeth indicates a small gape to the mouth, Professor Fritsch infers 

 that Keraterpeton fed upon the small Crustacea and Myriapods which 

 occur in the Bohemian coal. The epiotic horn, which is attached to 

 the square epiotic bone, is wedge-shaped, and four times as long 

 as the base is wide. Its length is half the length of the skull. Its 

 under surface is furrowed. The orbit contains a circle of about 

 twelve or fourteen sclerotic plates. No new light is thrown on the 

 gills or hyoid arch ; and it is probable, from the absence of gills, 

 that they were lost early in life. 



The number of the pre-sacral vertebrae is uncertain, but is believed 

 to be about 23 ; they are similar in size and shape, and all carry ribs. 

 The centrum is constricted in the middle. There are 40 caudal 

 vertebras. As in Urocordylus, there are no interspaces between the 

 dorsal and ventral processes of these vertebrae. There are no caudal 

 ribs. 



The middle thoracic plate is triangular, with a T-shaped elevated 

 mass upon it like the interclavicle of Ichthyosaurus in form, with 

 circular pits in the bone on each side of the median bar of the T« 

 The lateral thoracic plate is formed of an oval shield with a short 

 round curved stalk. It is pitted on the outer edge. 



The fore-limb is shorter than in the Branchiosauridse. The 

 humerus has the usual constriction in the middle, is widest at the 

 distal end, and has an elevated ridge on the upper end. The bones 

 of the fore-arm are half the length of the humerus. The number 

 of carpal bones is unknown. The metacarpal bones and phalanges 

 are short, so that the hand is shorter than the fore-arm. The 

 terminal phalanges are blunt and conical. The hinder extremity 

 is stronger, with digits which are relatively quite as short. The 

 number of bones in the several digits is 1, 2, S, 2, 1. 



The next family is named LimnerpetidaB. It is a group of Amphi- 

 bians with broad frog-like head and long salamander-like body ; and 

 is armoured with sculptured scutes. The first species, Linmerpeton 



