180 TBANSACTIONS LIVEEPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



fore foot. In the carpal region there is on each side an 

 indication of a slight lateral expansion of the foot (PL 

 VII., fig. 2). On the inner side, in the middle of this 

 expansion, appears to be a small digit, possibly with three 

 bones, corresponding to the structure which Prof. Karl 

 Bardeleben of Jena has described in some small mammals 

 and named the pre-pollex (PL VII., fig. 2, p.p.) It 

 extends inwards like a spur. On the outer side there is a 

 corresponding structure, most faintly impressed, which in 

 the language of Bardeleben represents the second bone of 

 the pisiform element of the carpus on the outer side (PL 

 VII., fig. 2, 2. p.) There appear to me to be five bones 

 in the distal row of the carpus." 



It will be noticed that Prof. Seeley is very cautious in 

 his remarks, and the observations on this particular 

 footprint would have to be confirmed by the examination 

 of other examples before any certain conclusion could be 

 pronounced. It seems probable, however, that the foot- 

 print may indicate the presence of anomodont reptiles in 

 our district in triassic times, and should it be found 

 possible to identify any of the footprints found as those 

 of a certain family, if not genus, quite a new field would 

 be opened for the study of the ancient fauna of our district 

 hitherto so very uninteresting to the palaeontologist. 



The fact that the presence of several species of 

 Dicynodon in the trias of Elgin has been clearly proved 

 within the last few years, lends probability to the theory 

 of their existence at the same time in this district. The 

 presence of osseous remains seems so far restricted to a 

 very few localities in Great Britain, whilst the footprints 

 are far more widely spread, and there is every reason to 

 suppose that the non-preservation of the bones is due to 

 the condition of the material in which they were embedded 

 and not to absence originally. The remains found at 



