Wall-case 
19. 
Table-case 
V. 
48 GUIDE TO THE FOSSIL REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS, FISHES. 
Metoposaurus, from the Trias of Wiirtemberg, has the eyes far 
forward in the head. Ehytidosteus and Bothriceps (Fig. 44), 
from the Trias of South Africa and Australia (Table-case V), 
are also noteworthy. 
The Permian Labyrinthodonts in the collection belong 
chiefly to Archegosaurus and Actinodon, and are interesting as 
showing parts of the body and limbs. The remains of 
Archegosaurus decheni, in nodules from the Lower Permian of 
Ehenish Prussia, are especially well preserved. The back¬ 
bone is incompletely formed, each vertebra consisting of three 
or more pieces, surrounding a large persistent strand of noto- 
Fig. 44.—Skull of Bothriceps huxleyi, upper view, from the Triassic Karoo 
Formation of Orange River Colony, South Africa; four-fifths nat. size. 
(Table-case Y.) 
chord, much like the vertebra of Euchirosaurus from France 
(Fig. 45), and that of Eryops , from Texas, in Table-case V. 
The ribs are short, and evidently did not completely encircle the 
trunk, so that in breathing the animal must have swallowed air 
like a frog. The ends of the limb-bones were originally cartila¬ 
ginous, and hence are not preserved in the fossils. Traces of 
gill-arches can sometimes be seen in young specimens, proving 
that Archegosaurus resembled modern Amphibia in breathing 
by gills during the earlier part of its life. 
Among the remains of Carboniferous Labyrinthodonts 
an uncrushed skull of Loxomma, obtained by Mr. George 
Maw from ironstone in the Coal Measures of Coalbrookdale, 
is particularly interesting (Wall-case 19). Owing to their 
