58 



THE EXTINCT BATRACHIA, REPTILIA 



Emmons describes a species Clepsymurm leaii, from the coal strata of Dan River, 

 from near Leakesville, N. Ca., which appears to he distinct from the Rhytidodon caro- 

 linenda. It is represented by a cast of a block of sandstone containing 14 vertebra 1 , etc., 

 which indicate a species different from any of those above mentioned. 



Finally, although the Eurydorus serridens, Leidy, from its locality (Phamixville, 

 Pennsylvania), may indicate a fifth species, there is nothing in the type specimen, nor in 

 the description, to determinine any reference. It cannot safely be regarded as the same 

 as the Belodon here described, from the same locality, since the strata in which the two 

 occur, are separated by a vertical thickness of 187 feet of rock. 



Having satisfied myself of the existence of four distinct species of Belodonts in our 

 Triassic beds, their generic relations come next in order for consideration. 



In his Manual of Geology, Prof. Emmons figures the cranium of a Reptile (fig. 157, 

 page 179), which bears a near resemblance to that of the Belodon plieningcri, Meyer. 

 The cast of this cranium in the Museum of the Academy Nat. Sci., confirms the reference 

 to this genus, and presents no characters by which it can be distinguished from it. The 

 specimens (No. 4) consist in part of the short frontal bones with part of the orbits and 

 cranial cavity, and a portion of the ramus of the mandible, of a saurian near the genus 

 Belodon, perhaps the same. The ilium figured by Emmons (N. Amer. Geology, p. 77, 

 fig. 47,) and the femur, (fig. 48), with portions of mandibular ramus (fig. 42), obviously 

 indicate Belodonts. 



Of the Phcenixville saurian, portions of the ilium and ischium are preserved, which 

 indicate that the animal is neither a, Dinosaiiria.ii nor a, Dicynodont, nor yet a Crocodile. 

 The portion of ilium answers to that of Belodon, as figured by Meyer and Emmons. 



The Dan River species is referred to the same group without entire certainty. The 

 only teeth occurring in the same strata arc, according to Emmons, identical with those of 

 the smooth toothed Belodont from Deep River. The cervical vertebra are quite similar 

 to those of the Deep River species. 



I can as yet find no generic characters by which to distinguish these species from the 

 Belodon of Meyer, neither in the cranial, dental, pelvic nor extrcmital regions. Meyer 

 describes and figures numerous teeth, both smooth and sulcatc, without distinguishing the 

 two forms specifically, though it is certain that three species of the genus came under his 

 observation. He figures ilia of two species, one of which cannot be distinguished goner- 

 ically from that figured by Emmons (1. c. fig. 47). 



This genus was referred by Owen to the Thecodontia, along with some other little 

 known genera. Some of the latter, especially Bathygnathus and Clepsysaurus, are in 

 our opinion Dinosaurian, while others, as Belodon, represent a family of the present order. 



