﻿AND 
  REPTILIA 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  AMERICA. 
  9 
  

  

  » 
  

  

  the 
  external 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  dentary 
  hone 
  in 
  that 
  region 
  being 
  lost, 
  little 
  can 
  be 
  said 
  

   about 
  it. 
  Professor 
  Owen's 
  plate 
  indicates 
  a 
  ramus 
  whose 
  depth 
  at 
  the 
  last 
  tooth 
  

   enters 
  8| 
  times 
  the 
  total 
  length. 
  In 
  our 
  species 
  this 
  depth 
  enters 
  about 
  5 
  times. 
  

  

  BRACHYDECTES 
  NEWBERRYI, 
  Cope. 
  

   Proceed 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  Sci., 
  Philadelphia, 
  1868, 
  p. 
  214. 
  Transac. 
  Amer. 
  Philos. 
  Soc, 
  XIV., 
  1809, 
  p. 
  14. 
  

  

  PELION, 
  Wyman. 
  

  

  Proceed. 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  Sci., 
  Philadelphia, 
  1868, 
  p. 
  211. 
  Transac. 
  Amer. 
  Philos. 
  Soc, 
  1869, 
  p. 
  9. 
  Tlaniceps, 
  

   Wyman, 
  Amer. 
  Jour. 
  Sci. 
  Arts, 
  1858, 
  p. 
  158, 
  not 
  of 
  Cuvier 
  (Pediculati). 
  

  

  Three 
  genera 
  are 
  here 
  indicated 
  as 
  pertaining 
  to 
  a 
  lacertiform 
  type 
  of 
  Stegoce- 
  

   phali. 
  In 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  there, 
  are 
  abdominal 
  chevrons 
  and 
  no 
  thoracic 
  shields 
  

   (Sauropleura) 
  ; 
  in 
  another 
  (Tuditanus) 
  no 
  abdominal 
  chevrons, 
  and 
  thoracic 
  shields 
  

   present. 
  These 
  genera 
  are 
  doubtless 
  well 
  defined, 
  but 
  one 
  or 
  the 
  other 
  of 
  them 
  may 
  

   possibly, 
  not 
  probably, 
  be 
  identical 
  with 
  Pelion. 
  The 
  only 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  only 
  

   species 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  exhibits 
  an 
  inferior 
  view 
  of 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  skeleton, 
  and 
  the 
  

   obverse, 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  thoracic 
  and 
  abdominal 
  armor 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  preserved, 
  has 
  

   not 
  come 
  under 
  my 
  observation. 
  The 
  specimen 
  however, 
  does 
  not 
  exhibit 
  any 
  ribs, 
  

   although 
  the 
  vertebras 
  are 
  well 
  preserved 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  genera 
  above 
  mentioned, 
  well 
  

   developed 
  ribs 
  are 
  preserved. 
  

  

  As 
  observed 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Wyman, 
  the 
  genus 
  presents 
  some 
  points 
  of 
  similarity 
  to 
  

  

  the 
  Anura. 
  The 
  prolongation 
  of 
  the 
  angles 
  of 
  the 
  mandible 
  is 
  of 
  this 
  character, 
  as 
  

  

  well 
  as 
  the 
  general 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  head. 
  The 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  forearm 
  may 
  be 
  united 
  as 
  in 
  

  

  frogs, 
  and 
  the 
  length 
  and 
  curvature 
  of 
  the 
  femur, 
  are 
  seen 
  among 
  these 
  animals 
  rather 
  

  

  than 
  the 
  Salamanders. 
  The 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  femur 
  is 
  different 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  Amphibamus 
  

  

  grandwej)s, 
  which 
  also 
  differs 
  in 
  the 
  unossified 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  vertebras 
  and 
  presence 
  

  

  of 
  dermal 
  scales. 
  

  

  PELION 
  LYELLII, 
  Wyman. 
  

  

  Loci 
  citati. 
  

  

  SAUROPLEURA, 
  Cope. 
  

  

  Proceed. 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  Sci., 
  Phila., 
  1868, 
  p. 
  215. 
  Transac. 
  Amer. 
  Philos. 
  Soc, 
  1889, 
  15. 
  

  

  Vertebrae 
  and 
  ribs 
  well 
  developed, 
  no 
  fan-shaped 
  processes 
  of 
  the 
  former. 
  Limbs 
  

   four, 
  well 
  developed 
  and 
  elongate. 
  Ventral 
  armature 
  of 
  slender 
  rods 
  arranged 
  en 
  

   chevron, 
  the 
  angle 
  anterior. 
  Probably 
  no 
  thoracic 
  armature. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  lacertilian 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  genera, 
  and 
  might 
  almost 
  be 
  

   suspected 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  reptile 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  the 
  ventral 
  armature, 
  which 
  is 
  precisely 
  that 
  

   of 
  Oestocephalus 
  and 
  other 
  genera. 
  It 
  appears 
  to 
  lack 
  the 
  thoracic 
  shields* 
  of 
  those 
  

  

  *When 
  I 
  state, 
  Transac. 
  Amer. 
  Philos. 
  Soc, 
  1869, 
  16, 
  that 
  Sauropleura 
  lacks 
  the 
  ventral 
  armature 
  of 
  O'estoce- 
  

   pJialvs, 
  thoracic 
  armature, 
  is 
  intended. 
  

  

  