312 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST 



[Vol. LI 



many different and non-comparable parts of these animals, the 

 author's task was an exceedingly difficult one, and only those 

 who have occasion to study this work very closely can appreciate 

 either the magnitude of the undertaking or the thoroughness 

 with which it has been carried out. 



Dr. Moodie 's monograph will naturally invite comparison with 

 the well-known works on the Permian Amphibia of Bohemia 

 and Saxony by Fritsch and by Credner. It must be admitted, 

 however, that many of the illustrations are inferior to those of 

 the works mentioned, partly on account of the difficulty of 

 showing the real character of these fragmentary specimens by 

 means of photographs. 



The author 's method is so intensive that he has left even readers 

 who may have some first-hand knowledge of Paleozoic Amphibia 

 in need of many broader facts and comparisons which may rea- 

 sonably be expected to result from such a conscientiously exe- 

 cuted investigation ; it is the aim of this review in some measure 

 to supply this deficiency, in the hope that Dr. Moodie him- 

 self may be induced to write a general article covering more 

 fully the points here raised. 



In the chapter on stratigraphic and geographic distribution 

 the author shows that the four chief Amphibia-bearing for- 

 mations in North America mentioned above are all in the Alle- 

 ghany or Lower Coal Measures and are thus much older than 

 those deposits (Salt Fork, Pitcairn) of the Upper Productive 

 Coal Measures at the top of the Pennsylvanian series, which have 

 collectively yielded Cricotus, Diplocaulus, Eryops and other 

 genera characteristic of the Texas "Permian." 



The author does not discuss the faunistic relations of the Lower 

 Coal Measures fauna either with the "Permian" fauna of Texas 

 and other states, or with the Carboniferous and Permian faunas 

 of Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Saxony and Bohemia. 

 Even the Permian and Triassic amphibian faunas of South 

 Afr-if-a invite comparison with the varied Temnospondyli of the 

 C;ifl)oiiiiVrous mid Permian of America and Europe. 



Tli( Lower Colli Meiisiires fauna of America includes a long 

 series of lir;uieliios;iiirs, microsaurs and primitive labyrintho- 

 ,lont^ (Si,n,Hlnhr}»ln,i. Drmlrf prion, Mncrcrprio^K Eoha- 

 phftis), .-iinl ir i^ lolally la, .king in p.-lyeosaurs. p.^liosanrs. 



k1 no braneliiosaur- 



