1884.] Batrachia of the Permian Period of North America. 29 
Its condyles, when present, are, on the other hand, well developed, 
and resemble those of salamanders, and of certain Mesozoic 
and. lowest Tertiary mammals, as Meniscoéssus of the. Laramie, 
and Catopsalis of the Puerco. The terminal phalanges were not 
converted into claws, but ; 
were flat and obtuse, as in 
existing Batrachia. 
The pelvic arch is inter- 
mediate between those of 
the Anura and salaman- 
ders, and resembied close- 
ly that of the Pelycosau- 
rian division of the Thero- 
morphous reptiles of the 
same age. The pubis and 
ischium are solidly united,. 
without the intervention of 
an obturator foramen, and 
those of opposite sides 
form a boat-shaped body. 
This is suspended from 
the sacrum by a vertical 
ilium, which rises from 
near the middle of each ue 2 
side. Its proportions are ea ae tage gear tg Src coe 
about as in the salaman- from that cy eases in poe Rena gery 
ders. The femur has no ie ten AN ae d 
head proper, and the dis- r 
tal condyles are better distinguished than in any other Batrachia 
and than in most Reptilia. 
The species of the Rachitomi are rather salamander-like in 
proportions, with relatively short legs and long tail, except in 
Eryops, where the latter was probably represented by a stump 
(see Plate 1). They had relatively large heads with wide gape, as 
in the frogs. None of the known species can be supposed to 
have had powers of leaping as in those modern animals. 
None of the known species had a formidable dentition, and in 
all of them the dentine is simply inflected, so that the section of 
a tooth presents a mass of closely-packed radii. 
The two families of this order are well distinguished by the 
