Nos. 451-452.] NOTES AND LITERATURE. 607 



The section on Amphibia, revised by Dr. E. C. Case, differs but 

 little from the original, except in the added descriptions of several 

 genera. The taxonomic system is unaltered and, on the whole, is 

 quite satisfactory, but it must be conceded that the Phyllospondyli of 

 Zittel (the Branchiosauria) do not form a group coordinate with 

 Lepospondyli, and there is much to be said in favor of comprising 

 the Branchiosauria, Microsauria, and Aistopoda as sub-orders of the 

 order Lepospondyli. 



The treatment of the reptiles, in which the editor had the collab- 

 oration of H. F. Osborn, S. W. Williston, J. B. Hatcher and O. P. 

 Hay, occupies nearly one half of the book, and is admirable in details, 

 such as the descriptions of smaller groups, but the taxonomic 

 arrangement shows nothing of the relationships of the various orders 

 which compose the class. It is regrettable that the revision of this 

 section was completed before the appearance of recent papers by R. 

 Broom, H. F. Osborn and others, which show in a convincing man- 

 ner that the reptiles have had a diphyletic evolution. Some of these 

 papers have considerably amplified our knowledge of the Anomo- 

 dontia and have indicated that the Parasuchia constitute an order 

 quite distinct from the Crocodiha. 



To Mr F A. Lucas is due the credit for the enlargement and 

 thorough revision of the section on birds. This part has been almost 

 entirely rewritten, and a different taxonomic scheme, based ch.eHy 

 on Stejneo-er's classification, has been adopted, to the marked 

 improvement of the book, although, as Mr. Lucas explains, it is not 

 possible in the case of birds to do more than group related forms, 

 and quite out of the question to arrange the groups so as to indicate 

 phvletic relationships. • t - f 



it will be noted that the points here ' ^J'"^ 



classification, points on which the editor and hi^ co a )'>i,i o s 

 not entirely free to express their personal mc\n.. I Ik- 

 and revision have been 



book published on the Paleontology of the vercbiatc^ l^elnu mam- 

 mals. We trust that the volume on mammals ma\ be .i> i^'^"^ • 



