FOSSIL REPTILES. 337 



blance will be found either in the general contours, or in the 

 details. The contour of the silurus is much less rounded, and 

 yet this is owing to the lower jaw^ while in the fossil the lateral 

 branches appear to appertain entirely to the zygomatic arch. 

 The parts placed behind the orbit have not nearly the breadth 

 which they would have in the silurus. 



This rounded figure of the head for a long time struck 

 M. Cuvier as bearing a singular resemblance to the head of a 

 frog, or salamander ; and he had no sooner seen the figure of 

 Dr. Ammann'*s specimen, than he observed, in the vestiges of the 

 hind feet and of the tail, strong confirmation in favour of the 

 last mentioned genus. This would be rendered very obvious 

 by placing the skeleton of a salamander beside the fossil, with- 

 out suffering one's self to be prejudiced by the difference of size. 

 Everything would then be explained in the clearest manner. 



The rounded form of the head, the size of the orbits, the 

 suture in the middle of their interval, the lateral angle for the 

 articulation of the lower jaw, the length of the vertebrae in rela- 

 tion to their breadth, the little ribs attached to their two sides, 

 the remains of anterior extremities very sensible in the fossils, 

 those of the posterior extremities still more so in one of them 

 (that of Dr. Ammann) , in which are seen the femora, a part of 

 the tibiae, and some fragments of the pelvis 3 all, in short, 

 strongly demonstrate for the family of the salamanders to the 

 exclusion of all others. 



M. Cuvier, in the first edition of the '^ Ossemens Fossiles," 

 says, '* I am even persuaded, that if one could have the dis- 

 posal of these fossils, and examine them Avith a little more 

 minuteness of detail, still more numerous proofs would be 

 found in the articular faces of the vertebrae, in those of the 

 jaw, in the vestiges of the very small teeth, and even in the 

 parts of the labyrinth of the ear ; and I invited the proprie- 

 tors, or the keepers of these fine specimens, to proceed to this 

 examination." 



He had, subsequently, the advantage of making this exami- 



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