40 Frederick Chapman : 



Note on " Ziphiiis (Dolichodon), r/eelonr/ens/s,^' McCoy. ^ 



The fossil from Waurn Ponds referred by Sir F. McCoy to a 

 ziphioid is a long, strap-shaped tooth, having a compressed oval sec- 

 tional outline, and an extensive but slender pulp cavity. It is com- 

 pared with a type of tooth seen in Meso2)lodoii layardi (found off the 

 Cape of Good Hope, Chatham Islands and New Zealand), in which 

 the pair of mandibular teeth have a crown composed of true dentine 

 surmounted by a small and pointed enamel cap. The crown is raised 

 upon a solid mass of osteo-dentine, which has a continuously 

 changing form as the tooth advances in growth, tending upwards, 

 backwards, and finally inwards.- In course of time these teeth 

 interlock over the top, preventing complete opening of the jaws. 

 Their great size and recurved form is curiously paralleled in the 

 sabi'e-toothed tigers, as remarked by Beddard.^ 



The existing 3/. ZrtyffrcZ?, Gray sp., and, presumably, M.geelongen- 

 sis, McCoy sp., belong to the genus Me so plod o?i sensu stricto, while 

 M comjjressus, Owen sp., is referable, according to Flower, to the 

 group Dio2)lodon, including M.densirosfris, Blainv, sp., M.ausf rolls. 

 Flower, M.[/rai/i, Fl, and M.hnasfi, Fl. 



Fani. SQUALODONTIDAr,. 



Genus Papasqualodon, T. S. Hall. 

 Pantsqindodon toUkinsoni, McCoy sp. 



Squcdodon wilkl/iso/ii, McCoy, 1875, Prod. Pal. Vict., dec. 2, p. 

 7, pi. XI., Figs. la-d. Id., ibid., 1879, dec. 6, p. 20. pi. LV., Figs. 

 3, 3a, b. 



Prosqualodon wilkinsoni, McCoy sp., T. S. Hall, 1911, Proc. R. 

 Soc, Vict., vol. XXIII., N.S. pt. II., p. 262, pi. XXXVL, Figs. 1-5. 



Observations. — In Dr. Hall's paper, " On the Systematic Position 

 of the species of Squalodon and Zeuglodon described from Australia 

 and New Zealand," a specimen (No. 5529) in the National Museum 

 from Waurn Ponds is figured. This is noticed by Hall as an " In- 

 cisor of (?) Farasqualodon wilkinsoni .''^ Having recently examined 

 the cetacean teeth in the Museum in some detail for the purpose of 

 the present paper, Ihave arrived at the conclusion that this speci- 

 men is without doubt referable to the above species, and that the 

 curious appearance of an incision at the base of the crown as shown 



1 Prod. Pal. Vict., dee. 7, 18S-2, p. 2S, pi. Ixix. 



2 See Flower, op. cit, vol. x., 1S7S, p. 418. 



3 Cambridge Nat. Histor}-. Mammalia, 3902, p. 369. 



