No. 582] RECENT STUDIES ON FOSSIL AMPHIBIA 375 



The mandible of the primitive amphibians differs chiefly from that 

 of the early reptiles in the division of the coronoid into three elements., 

 or possibly four, and in the division of the splenial into two. 



Wiman (15) within the past three years has become 

 much interested in the amphibian fauna of the Trias of 

 Spitzbergen. In the present paper he reviews the work 

 which has been done on the structures of the occiput of 

 seven genera of Permian and Triassic stegoceplialians, 

 figuring the anatomy of this region of a new laby- 

 rinthodont from Spitzbergen. He describes this new 

 genus in a later contribution. In this latter paper (16) 

 Wiman discusses the occurrence of amphibian remain.- in 

 the deposits of Spitzbergen, accompanying his remarks 

 by photographs of the bone-bearing horizons. His paper 

 deals largely with new forms from Spitzbergen, which are 

 illustrated in four text figures and nine photographic 

 plates. One is at once struck, in the examination of 

 Wiman 's plates, by the clearness of preservation of the 

 cephalic lateral line canals. The author refers to t hex- 

 structures as " Schleimkanale " and gives a very careful 

 description of their occurrence; the only writer of recent 

 date who has done so. The term Lyrocephahts curi is 

 proposed for the new genus and species. 



Der Gattungsname bezioht sieh auf die aussorordontlich kraftig 

 entwiekelten Schleimkanale des Kopfes. . . . 

 He refers to the various canals as "Tremalkaimlc, " "Xa- 

 sof rontalkanale, " ' ' Temporalkanal " and "Maxillarka- 

 nal," but makes no attempt to homologize them on the ba- 

 sis of the work of Allis 8 (1889) and the reviewer 8 (1908). 

 The lateral line canals are so unusually well preserved in 

 Lyrocephalus that it is thought worth while to give an 

 outline figure in another place of their occurrence and to 

 homologize them on the basis of previous work. The 

 columella auris is described and figured (Plate II, Figs. 

 4-5) in this species. It is unusually large. Other new 

 forms are described from these interesting deposits, many 

 of the specimens showing much of interest in a structural 

 way. The material described is chiefly cranial, although 

 a few thoracic plates (interclavicles), of the typical laby- 



*Journ. Morphol, II, 1889, p. 463; 1908, p. 511. 



