﻿1864.] 
  HAEKNESS 
  NORTH-EAST 
  OF 
  SCOTLAND. 
  443 
  

  

  made 
  up 
  of 
  " 
  two 
  apparently 
  very 
  distinct 
  types 
  — 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Arche- 
  

   gosauria 
  (AreJiegosaurus), 
  at 
  present 
  known 
  to 
  occur 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  Car- 
  

   boniferous 
  rocks, 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Mastodonsauria 
  (Mastodonsaurus, 
  

   Labyrinthodon, 
  Capitosaurus 
  , 
  Trematosaurus) 
  , 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  

   nourished 
  in 
  remarkable 
  abundance 
  during 
  the 
  Triassic 
  epoch." 
  To 
  

   this 
  latter 
  type 
  Professor 
  Huxley 
  refers 
  the 
  AniJiracosaurus 
  Russelli, 
  

   a 
  Reptile 
  recently 
  discovered 
  in 
  the 
  Ardrie 
  coal-field. 
  In 
  this 
  case 
  

   we 
  have 
  a 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  Reptiles 
  highly 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  Mesozoic 
  series 
  passing 
  downwards 
  into 
  the 
  Palaeozoic 
  

   division, 
  and 
  making 
  its 
  appearance 
  in 
  the 
  Coal. 
  

  

  With 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  Reptiles 
  of 
  the 
  Elgin 
  area, 
  evidence 
  of 
  them 
  

   was 
  first 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  footprints 
  of 
  Cummingstone, 
  by 
  Capt. 
  

   Brickenden, 
  in 
  1850 
  ; 
  and 
  subsequently 
  Mr. 
  P. 
  Duff, 
  in 
  1851, 
  was 
  so 
  

   fortunate 
  as 
  to 
  procure 
  the 
  Telerpeton 
  Elginense. 
  The 
  discovery 
  of 
  

   Footprints 
  and 
  this 
  Reptile, 
  the 
  affinities 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  doubtful, 
  

   seems 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  to 
  have 
  affected 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  strata 
  

   containing 
  them 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  Old 
  Red 
  Sandstone. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  year 
  1858 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  Stagonolepis 
  came 
  under 
  the 
  

   notice 
  of 
  Professor 
  Huxley*, 
  who 
  at 
  once 
  perceived 
  their 
  Crocodilian 
  

   affinities 
  ; 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  question 
  arose 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  true 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  

   in 
  which 
  these 
  remains 
  were 
  found, 
  palaeontologists 
  referring 
  them 
  

   to 
  the 
  Trias, 
  while 
  geologists 
  maintained, 
  on 
  stratigraphical 
  grounds, 
  

   their 
  higher 
  antiquity. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  assumed 
  that, 
  as 
  the 
  Stagono- 
  

   lepis 
  is 
  decidedly 
  Teleosaurian 
  in 
  its 
  affinities, 
  it 
  must 
  consequently 
  

   mark 
  a 
  Mesozoic 
  group 
  of 
  rocks. 
  But 
  we 
  have 
  already 
  seen 
  that 
  

   Mastodonsauria, 
  which 
  abound 
  in 
  the 
  Trias, 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  Coal- 
  

   measures 
  ; 
  and 
  stratigraphical 
  evidence 
  shows 
  us 
  that 
  Teleosaurian 
  

   Crocodiles 
  have 
  a 
  wider 
  geological 
  range, 
  since 
  we 
  meet 
  with 
  them 
  

   in 
  the 
  Old 
  Red 
  Sandstone. 
  

  

  The 
  principle 
  involved 
  in 
  both 
  cases, 
  namely, 
  in 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  An- 
  

   ihracosaurus 
  and 
  in 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Stagonolepis, 
  is 
  the 
  same, 
  the 
  differ- 
  

   ence 
  being 
  only 
  in 
  degree. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  urged 
  that 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  Hyperodapedon 
  Gordoni 
  

   in 
  the 
  reptiliferous 
  sandstones 
  is 
  another 
  proof 
  of 
  the 
  Triassic 
  age 
  

   of 
  these 
  deposits. 
  This 
  Reptile 
  is 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  Cryptodont 
  family 
  

   by 
  Owen 
  ; 
  but 
  of 
  this 
  Cryptodont 
  family 
  only 
  one 
  form 
  has 
  been 
  

   met 
  with 
  in 
  Europe, 
  namely, 
  Hhynchosanrus 
  articeps 
  of 
  the 
  Grim- 
  

   sill 
  quarries, 
  near 
  Shrewsbury 
  ; 
  the 
  other 
  forms 
  appertaining 
  to 
  

   South 
  Africa, 
  and 
  occurring 
  in 
  strata 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  un- 
  

   certain. 
  Until 
  we 
  know 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  diffusion 
  of 
  this 
  family 
  than 
  

   can 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  specimen, 
  it 
  requires 
  great 
  caution 
  in 
  

   assigning 
  to 
  this 
  group 
  a 
  purely 
  Triassic 
  age. 
  

  

  Like 
  many 
  other 
  conclusions 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  drawn 
  from 
  nega- 
  

   tive 
  evidence, 
  the 
  inference 
  concerning 
  the 
  non-existence 
  of 
  Croco- 
  

   dilian 
  life 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Palaeozoic 
  period 
  is 
  very 
  

   probably 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  which 
  a 
  more 
  perfect 
  examination 
  of 
  strata 
  

   and 
  a 
  more 
  extensive 
  collection 
  of 
  fossils 
  will 
  ultimately 
  overthrow. 
  

   * 
  Quart. 
  Journ. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xv. 
  p. 
  440 
  et 
  seq. 
  

  

  