Art. XI. — On tlie Occurrence of Diprotodon australis 

 (Owen) near Melbourne. 



By G. B. PRITCHARD, 



Lecturer on Geology, &c., at the Working Men's College, and Acting 

 Lecturer on Geology at the Melbourne University. 



(With Plate IX.). 



[Read 8th Jime, 1899]. 



A short time ago Mr. W. S. Dawson, M.C.E., of the 

 Metropolitan Board of Works, forwarded to me a specimen for 

 examination and identification, which had been obtained during 

 the course of the sewerage excavations in the neighbourhood of 

 North Melbourne. The specimen proved to be a fairly good 

 example of portion of the lower jaw of Diprotodo7i australis, 

 Owen, and I have to thank the above gentleman for the 

 opportunity of examining it and of recording its discovery, with 

 the accompanying plan of the locality. 



The specimen is a fairly large fragment of the right half of the 

 lower jaw, measuring about eight and a half inches in length, 

 and showing portion of the incisor in its socket and indication of 

 the four molar teeth. 



The bone is moderately sound and strong, while the teeth are 

 in rather a delapidated condition, very little of the, enamel now 

 remaining, and that much cracked and easily broken, but still 

 there is suflicient to show some of the characteristics of the 

 teeth, and the coarse, irregular surface wrinkling of the enamel 

 itself. The fragment appears to have been broken before or 

 perhaps during deposition, as some of the fractures ai'e very 

 ancient, but there are also a number of recent flaws and breaks 

 evidently due to carelessness in excavation. 



How much of the incisor tooth there is present it is difficult 

 to say, as the portion still remaining is wlioUy within its socket ; 

 its section is somewhat oval, with its greatest diameter about one 

 inch, and the characteristic external grooving and ridging of this 



