506 



. CARBONIFEROUS REPTILES. 



LCh. XXV. 



the animal being supposed to be nearly related to the salamanders. 

 Three years later, in 1847, Prof, von Dechen found in the coal-field 

 of Saarbriick, at the village of Lebach, between Strasburg and Treves, 

 the skeletons of no less than three distinct species of air-breathing 

 reptiles, which were described by the late Prof. Goldfuss under the 

 generic name of Archegosaurus. The ichthyolites and plants found 

 in the same strata left no doubt that these remains belonged to the 



true coal period. The skulls, 

 teeth, and the greater por 

 tions of the skeleton, nay, 

 even a large part of the skin, 

 of two of these reptiles have 

 been faithfully preserved in 

 the centre of spheroidal con 

 cretions of clay-iron-stone 

 The largest of these lizards, 

 Archegosaurus Decheni, must 

 have been 3 feet 6 inches 

 lono\ The annexed drawing 

 represents the skull and neck 

 bones of the smallest of the 

 three, of the natural size. 

 They were considered by 

 Goldfuss as saurians, but by 

 Herman von Meyer as most 

 nearly allied to the Lahij- 

 rinthodon before mentioned 

 (p. 44 5 j, and, therefore, as 

 having many characters in- 

 termediate between batra- 

 chians and saurians. The 

 remains of the extremities 

 leave no doubt that they 

 were quadrupeds, " provid- 

 ed," says *Von Meyer, " with hands and feet terminating in distinct 

 toes ; but these limbs were weak, serving only for swimming or 



creeping." The same anatomist has point- 

 ed out certain points of analogy between 

 their bones and those of the Proteus an- 

 guinus ; and Professor Owen has ob- 

 served that they make an approach to 

 the Proteus in the shortness of their 



magnified.* reptiles retain a large part of the outer 



Archegosaurus minor, Goldfuss. Fossil reptile from 

 the coal-measures, Saarbriick. 



Fig. 558. 



* Goldfuss, Neue Jenaische Lit. Zeit., 1848 ; and Yon Meyer, Quart. Geol. 

 journ., vol. iv Miscell. p. 51. 



