﻿84 
  THE 
  EXTINCT 
  BATRACHIA, 
  REPTILIA 
  

  

  between 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  middle 
  line 
  another 
  which 
  together 
  enclose 
  two 
  shallow 
  concavities. 
  Superciliary 
  margins 
  

   raised, 
  the 
  cranial 
  table 
  quite 
  flat. 
  The 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  quadratojugal 
  bone 
  projects 
  strongly. 
  The 
  scales 
  of 
  the 
  

   limbs 
  are 
  all 
  smooth, 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  dorsal 
  region 
  with 
  very 
  low 
  keels. 
  The 
  sides 
  have 
  four 
  longitudinal 
  rows 
  of 
  

   ovate 
  scales 
  separated 
  by 
  scarcely 
  defined 
  smaller 
  ones. 
  The 
  abdominal 
  plates 
  are 
  longer 
  than 
  broad, 
  and 
  are 
  in 
  

   twelve 
  longitudinal 
  rows. 
  Dorsals 
  in 
  seventeen 
  transverse 
  series 
  from 
  interscapular 
  to 
  crural 
  region. 
  The 
  lateral 
  

   crests 
  of 
  the 
  tail 
  are 
  only 
  obtuse 
  keels 
  ; 
  they 
  unite 
  on 
  the 
  thirteenth 
  annulus 
  behind 
  the 
  vent 
  inclusive. 
  Color 
  above 
  

   dark 
  brown, 
  almost 
  black 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  surfaces 
  of 
  the 
  head. 
  The 
  tail 
  is 
  paler, 
  of 
  a 
  light 
  olive 
  brown. 
  Lower 
  sur- 
  

   faces 
  everywhere 
  bright 
  yellow, 
  including 
  the 
  entire 
  lower 
  jaw 
  and 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  upper. 
  Eyelids 
  and 
  a 
  band 
  through 
  

   ear 
  yellow, 
  the 
  former 
  with 
  a 
  black 
  spot 
  above. 
  

  

  Remarks. 
  — 
  This 
  interesting 
  addition 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  Eeptilia 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  Schulte 
  Buckow 
  of 
  New 
  

   York, 
  while 
  on 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  interior 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Magdalena 
  river 
  in 
  New 
  Grenada. 
  This 
  naturalist 
  

   has 
  also 
  enriched 
  our 
  collections 
  with 
  other 
  interesting 
  vertebrata 
  of 
  that 
  region, 
  both 
  living 
  and 
  dead. 
  

  

  OSTEOLAEMUS, 
  Cope. 
  

   Proceed. 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  Sci., 
  Phila., 
  XII, 
  550, 
  I860. 
  Ealcrosia, 
  Gray 
  Ann. 
  Mag. 
  Nat. 
  Hist., 
  1862, 
  273. 
  

  

  As 
  this 
  genus 
  has 
  been 
  variously 
  understood, 
  since 
  its 
  first 
  publication, 
  I 
  take 
  the 
  present 
  opportunity 
  of 
  quoting 
  

   the 
  original 
  description, 
  and 
  adding 
  such 
  observations 
  as 
  are 
  necessary 
  to 
  a 
  full 
  comprehension 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  

   embraced 
  by 
  it. 
  

  

  " 
  Osteolamrus, 
  Cope, 
  was 
  characterized 
  as 
  a 
  genus 
  of 
  Crocodiles 
  presenting 
  several 
  points 
  of 
  analogy 
  to 
  the 
  Alli- 
  

   gator. 
  The 
  nasal 
  bones 
  were 
  prolonged 
  anteriorly, 
  and 
  uniting 
  with 
  the 
  short 
  spine 
  of 
  the 
  intermaxillary, 
  divided 
  

   the 
  external 
  nasal 
  orifice, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  genus 
  Alligator. 
  The 
  eyelids 
  were 
  entirely 
  osseous 
  as 
  in 
  Caiman. 
  There 
  was 
  no 
  

   transverse 
  bony 
  ridge 
  between 
  the 
  orbits. 
  The 
  dermal 
  plates 
  upon 
  the 
  tail, 
  extremities, 
  and 
  the 
  thorax, 
  were 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  completely 
  ossified 
  ; 
  upon 
  the 
  gular 
  region 
  the 
  ossification 
  was 
  most 
  complete, 
  the 
  shields 
  having 
  a 
  coarse 
  

   natural 
  articulation. 
  

  

  "The 
  digits 
  of 
  the 
  posterior 
  extremity 
  were 
  very 
  slightly 
  webbed. 
  

  

  '' 
  Cervical 
  plates 
  distinct 
  from 
  the 
  dorsal. 
  

  

  "Mr. 
  Cope 
  alluded 
  to 
  the 
  remarkable 
  extent 
  to 
  which 
  ossification 
  was 
  carried 
  in 
  this 
  genus. 
  The 
  cranium 
  was 
  

   much 
  more 
  rugose 
  and 
  pitted 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  adult 
  specimens 
  of 
  much 
  larger 
  species, 
  and 
  the 
  crotaphite 
  foramina 
  were 
  

   roofed 
  over 
  by 
  bone 
  . 
  The 
  latter 
  peculiarity 
  was 
  sometimes 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  genera 
  Jacare 
  and 
  Caiman. 
  

  

  "The 
  osseous 
  gular 
  and 
  thoracic 
  buckler 
  was 
  also 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  exhibited 
  by 
  those 
  genera, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  

   extinct 
  "Crocodilus" 
  Hastingsise 
  Owen, 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  by 
  Professor 
  Huxley. 
  

  

  " 
  Two 
  specimens 
  were 
  exhibited 
  : 
  one 
  a 
  skin 
  brought 
  from 
  the 
  Ogobai 
  river, 
  Western 
  Africa, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  P. 
  B. 
  Du 
  

   Chaillu 
  ; 
  the 
  other, 
  the 
  skull 
  of 
  a 
  half 
  grown 
  individual, 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  the 
  Pennsylvania 
  University, 
  

  

  "These 
  Mr. 
  Cope 
  regarded 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  a 
  species 
  hitherto 
  unknown, 
  and 
  which 
  he 
  proposed 
  calling 
  Osteolae- 
  

   mus 
  tetraspes." 
  

  

  Several 
  descriptions 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  genus 
  have 
  been 
  published 
  under 
  different 
  names. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  

   question 
  whether 
  all 
  do 
  not 
  relate 
  to 
  one 
  species. 
  A 
  young 
  one 
  was 
  described 
  by 
  Murray, 
  whose 
  muzzle 
  was 
  of 
  course 
  

   much 
  broader 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  its 
  length 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  adult. 
  An 
  adult 
  was 
  afterwards 
  described 
  by 
  Lilljeborg 
  with 
  the 
  

   relatively 
  longer 
  muzzle. 
  It 
  differed 
  from 
  that 
  described 
  by 
  Murray 
  in 
  having 
  but 
  four 
  rows 
  of 
  dorsal 
  shields, 
  and 
  

   but 
  two 
  pairs 
  of 
  cervicals 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  pairs 
  of 
  cervicals 
  and 
  six 
  rows 
  of 
  dorsals. 
  My 
  type 
  specimen, 
  

   brought 
  from 
  the 
  Ogobai 
  by 
  DuChaillu 
  possesses 
  six 
  rows 
  of 
  dorsals, 
  and 
  only 
  four 
  cervicals, 
  thus 
  combining 
  the 
  

   characters 
  of 
  the 
  two. 
  Gray, 
  however, 
  who 
  has 
  seen 
  Murray's 
  type, 
  says 
  there 
  are 
  but 
  four 
  rows 
  of 
  dorsal 
  plates 
  ; 
  

   in 
  the 
  Ogobai 
  specimen 
  one 
  row 
  has 
  but 
  five, 
  and 
  in 
  three 
  others 
  the 
  two 
  outer 
  are 
  nearly 
  united 
  ; 
  so 
  I 
  am 
  disposed 
  

   to 
  think 
  that 
  no 
  great 
  importance 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  attached 
  to 
  this 
  character. 
  Murray's 
  specimen 
  has 
  the 
  relatively 
  enlarged 
  

   brain 
  cavity 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  animal 
  elongating 
  the 
  table 
  of 
  the 
  cranium 
  ; 
  Lilljeborg's, 
  which 
  is 
  adult, 
  maintains 
  this 
  

   character 
  more 
  than 
  our 
  specimens 
  do. 
  Gray 
  gives 
  a 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  cranium 
  of 
  the 
  adult, 
  which 
  coincides 
  with 
  two 
  

   crania 
  in 
  our 
  Museum, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  mentioned 
  specimen, 
  while 
  both 
  agree 
  in 
  the 
  proportions 
  of 
  the 
  muzzle 
  with 
  

   that 
  described 
  by 
  Lilljeborg. 
  The 
  last, 
  however, 
  differs 
  from 
  all 
  these 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  table 
  of 
  the 
  cranium 
  but 
  little 
  

  

  