ON ANTHRACOSAURUS RUSSELLI. 313 



or is it merely the young of U, Wandesfordii ? We believe it 

 to be distinct, because the vertical processes of the vertebrae, 

 though strongly resembling those of that species, differ consi- 

 derably from them in certain particulars. The character of the 

 sternal plates is also different, and the surface -structure of the 

 cranial bones is apparently peculiar; but it must be allowed 

 that this feature may be wanting in U. Wandesfordii merely on 

 account of the curious state of preservation of the specimen from 

 which that species was described. But be this as it may, the 

 interest of this discovery is not lessened ; and, indeed, this ad- 

 dition to the coal-fauna of the district is the most important that 

 has been made since our acquisition in 1867 of Ophiderpetoji, 

 another of Professor Huxley's genera from the Kilkenny Coal- 

 shales. And we cannot but deem ourselves fortunate in having 

 met with this new species of so rare a form of Labyrinthodont 

 Amphibian ; for much novelty is not now to be expected from 

 the shales of Newsham and Cramlington, which have been assi- 

 duously searched for the last fifteen years. 



Anthracosaurus Eusselli, Huxley. 



A large fragment of the skull of this rare fossil was obtained 

 a short time ago at Newsham ; it is a portion of the anterior 

 part of the cranium, and happily exhibits characteristic features 

 that cannot well be mistaken. The snout is wanting, being 

 broken off diagonally backwards from left to right ; and poste- 

 riorly the specimen is broken away in a parallel diagonal line a 

 little behind the great vomerine tusks ; so that on the right side 

 nearly the whole of the maxilla is present ; on the left the frac- 

 ture passes close to the base of the large vomerine tusk, conse- 

 quently the maxilla of this side is almost entirely wanting. In 

 form the specimen is rhomboidal, being diagonally broken across 

 before and behind; the sides are perfect; it measures length- 

 wise %\ inches, in breadth 6 inches. 



Both the dorsal and palatal surfaces have been cleared of the 

 matrix, a work of much care and labour ; and though the parts 

 are crushed and distorted, many of the characters are well 



