Elements of geology, or, The Elements of geology, or, The ancient changes of the earth and its inhabitants as illustrated by geological monuments elementsofgeolog00lyel Year: 1868 506 . CARBONIFEROUS REPTILES. LCh. XXV. the animal being supposed to be nearly related to the salamanders. Three years later, in 1847, Prof, von Dechen found in the coal-field of Saarbriick, at the village of Lebach, between Strasburg and Treves, the skeletons of no less than three distinct species of air-breathing reptiles, which were described by the late Prof. Goldfuss under the generic name of Archegosaurus. The
Elements of geology, or, The Elements of geology, or, The ancient changes of the earth and its inhabitants as illustrated by geological monuments elementsofgeolog00lyel Year: 1868 506 . CARBONIFEROUS REPTILES. LCh. XXV. the animal being supposed to be nearly related to the salamanders. Three years later, in 1847, Prof, von Dechen found in the coal-field of Saarbriick, at the village of Lebach, between Strasburg and Treves, the skeletons of no less than three distinct species of air-breathing reptiles, which were described by the late Prof. Goldfuss under the generic name of Archegosaurus. The ichthyolites and plants found in the same strata left no doubt that these remains belonged to the true coal period. The skulls, teeth, and the greater por tions of the skeleton, nay, even a large part of the skin, of two of these reptiles have been faithfully preserved in the centre of spheroidal con cretions of clay-iron-stone The largest of these lizards, Archegosaurus Decheni, must have been 3 feet 6 inches lono\ The annexed drawing represents the skull and neck bones of the smallest of the three, of the natural size. They were considered by Goldfuss as saurians, but by Herman von Meyer as most nearly allied to the Lahij- rinthodon before mentioned (p. 445j, and, therefore, as having many characters in- termediate between batra- chians and saurians. The remains of the extremities leave no doubt that they were quadrupeds, ' provid- ed,' says *Von Meyer, ' with hands and feet terminating in distinct toes; but these limbs were weak, serving only for swimming or creeping.' The same anatomist has point- ed out certain points of analogy between their bones and those of the Proteus an- guinus; and Professor Owen has ob- served that they make an approach to the Proteus in the shortness of their magnified.* reptiles retain a large part of the outer Archegosaurus minor, Goldfuss. Fossil reptile from the coal-measures, Saarbriick. Fig. 558.
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