1893."] Reptiles from the Elgin Sandstone. 437 



The second specimen was obtained by the Rev. Dr. Gordon, of 

 Elgin, from the quarry at Spynie, where the Telerpeton Elginense 

 was found, and will be deposited in the British Museum. In this 

 fossil the bones were present, and the skull, thanks to the manipu- 

 lative skill of Mr. J. Hall, of the British Museum, is still preserved, 

 but many of the other bones were too much crumbled to show their 

 form, and the casting process was again resorted to. This specimen 

 must have been entire when buried in the sandy matrix, but the 

 neck and fore limbs are now wanting. The resemblance of this 

 fossil to Aetosaurus was noticed by Mr. A. Smith Woodward when it 

 was exhibited at one of the Royal Society Soirees. The skull is 

 about 4J inches long, sharp anteriorly, and Bird-like when seen from 

 above, but deep when seen from the side. There is on each side a 

 laterally placed nasal aperture, a large prelachrymal fossa, a wide 

 orbit, and an infratemporal fossa. The teeth are of different sizes, 

 but all seem to have been lanceolate, recurved, compressed, and 

 serrated anteriorly and posteriorly as in Palceosaurus and Cladyodon, 

 The palate is deep, and a median pair of apertures near the post- 

 palatine vacuities are believed to be primitive posterior nares, placed 

 far back, somewhat as in Belodon. This skull closely resembles that 

 of Ceratosaurus. The more anterior of the thirteen presacral vertebrae 

 which are present have distinct capitular and tubercular articula- 

 tions for the ribs, but these gradually unite, and in the hinder-most 

 there is but one process with, perhaps, two articular surfaces at the 

 extremity. All the vertebrae are biconcave. The sacrum includes 

 three vertebras with large and expanded ribs. There are twenty-one 

 caudal vertebrae present, which have long neural and haemal spines. 

 The ilium is Crocodilian in form, but not so high as in Stagonolepis, 

 and thus approaches to the Dinosauria,n type. The ischia are elongated 

 bones, but the pubes are still longer and are directed forwards. The 

 tibia and fibula must have been about the same length as the femur, 

 which is nearly 4J inches long, and Crocodilian in form. The astra- 

 galus is free, and has some resemblance to that of a Crocodile ; there 

 are five metatarsals, and the number of the phalanges is to the first 

 digit 2, to the second 3, to the third 4, to the fourth 5, to the fifth 3 

 or more. Many oval scutes are seen scattered above the neural 

 spines, the anterior and larger ones being ornamented with irregular 

 radiating pittings and ridges. 



This reptile seems to be intermediate between the Dinosaurians 

 and Crocodilians. The skull and teeth are most like those of 

 Dinosaurs ; the pelvis and limbs might belong to either Dinosaurs or 

 Crocodiles ; while the free astragalus is certainly a Crocodilian 

 character. Provisionally this reptile is referred to the Theropodous 

 Dinosauria, and is named Ornithosuchus Woodwardi. 



