376 The American Naturalist. [April, 
gined with a flat fringe around the pointed end and the rounded conical 
parts were filled with matrix ; this central spine-like portion is covered 
with a layer of the same tissue as that of which the shield is composed ; 
the fringe around the conical central portion is distinctly striate in a 
direction approximately parallel to its axis, These points of resem- 
blance to a Crossopterygian fin, together with the fact that one of the 
specimens was found so close to the side of the dorsal shield as to irre- 
sistibly suggest a connection, have decided Mr. Claypole to add the 
character of a fin to his amended definition of Paleaspis americana. 
(Quart. Journ. Geol. Sur. 1892.) 
New Reptiles from the Elgin Sandstone.—We have already 
noticed the reptilian remains from the Elgin Sandstone, which are in 
the condition of hollow moulds, the bones themselves having entirely 
disappeared. Casts of these moulds have been made of gutta-percha, 
which upon examination prove to be models of eight distinct skeletons, 
of seven species of remarkable reptiles new to science. Professor E. 
T. Newton, to whom the casts were sent for identification, refers 5 of 
them to the genus Gordonia; G. traquairi (2), G. hualeyana, G. 
dufiana and G. juddiana. In Gordonia, as in Dicynodon, the maxilla 
is directed downward and forward to end in a small tusk. The for- 
mer is distinguished from the latter by the presence of two post-tempo- 
ral fossæ on each side of the occiput, by the small size of the maxillary 
tusk, and by the slight ossification of the vertebral centra. A second 
generic form, Geikia elginensis is nearly allied to Lystrosaurus Cope, 
but is distinguished by its shorter muzzle and the entire absence of 
teeth. The maxilla is produced into a tooth-like prominence, which 
occupies a similar position to thetusks of Gordonia. For the remain- 
ing species, Mr. Newton proposes the name Elginia mirabilis. The 
exterior of the skull is covered in by bony plates, the only apertures 
being the pair of nostrils, the orbits, and the pineal fossa. Horns and 
spines, varying from } inch to 3 inches in length are found upon nearly 
every bone of the exterior. This feature reminds one of the living 
lizards Moloch and Phrynosoma. With the exception of a smaller 
number of teeth, the dentition is a repetition on a large scale of Iguana. 
This peculiar skull seems to show affinities with both Stegocephali 
and Lacertilians, and is unlike any living or fossil form; its nearest, 
though distant ally apparently being the Pariasaurus from the Karoo 
beds of South Africa. (Nature, Dec., 1892. ) 
Fossil Reptiles from the Parana.—JIn the Boletin of the 
Academia Nacional de Ciencias of Cordova (Argentina), Mr. Juan B. 
