1880. | Recent Literature. 287 
from New Grenada, the other from Hayti. If the latter locality 
is correct, it gives an entirely new distribution for the genus. 
It is now some time since M. Fernand Lataste of Paris, showed 
that the larve of the Batrachia Anura with opisthoccelous verte- 
bre have their branchial fissure median, while those with pro- 
-coelous vertebrz have it on the left side. In a more recent paper! 
this author discusses the position of the genus Discoglossus in 
the system, and gives much new information respecting the habits, 
varieties and larve of the D. pictus. He adopts the system pro- 
posed by Cope in 1864, in which Discoglossus is placed with 
Bombinator and Alytes in a special section of the Anura, apart 
from the ranoid and pelobatoid types. M. Lataste creates a num- 
ber of new names. The distinction in the articular character of 
the vertebrae had not been used by Cope as the basis of a primary 
division on account of its uncertainty in some Cystignathide, but 
M. Lataste adopts an opposite course. He also gives tribal names 
to the group with and without ribs, which, in our opinion, 
increases nomenclature unnecessarily. For this reason we com- 
mend his rejection of the new names proposed by M. DeLisle. 
the respiratory currents, since no direct outlet exists at the poste- 
rior nares.” rof. E. D. Cope has recently published in the 
Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society.3 a description , 
of the foramina which perforate the temporal and adjacent parts 
of the parietal bones of the Mammalia. He finds nine of these 
which are generally constant in position, but present great variety 
in their occurrence in the different orders, families and genera. 
Three of them are confined to the Menotremata and Marsupialia, 
while there are many of the higher types which do not possess 
any of them. The largest number is present in the equine Peris- __ 
sodactyla and the Ruminantia. Prof. Cope’s conclusions are stated 
as follows: 2 oO 
(1.) The sinous foramina furnish valuable diagnostic characters, — - 
and may, with proper limitations, be used in systematic defini- oo 
tion. En 
(2.) The primitive condition of the various Mammalian orders, 
appears to have been the possession of a limited number of these — 
ormina. ie ee 
2 Vol vr, No. 5, Feb., 1880 
1 Actes de la Société Linneenne de Bordeaux, XXXIB p. 275, 1879. a 
3 "N : : : ee sere or 
9. 1035, March, 1880. ` 
