Prof. G. Baur on the Trionychian Genus Pelochelys. 415 



Kaup liad used Pterosaurii previously for the genus Ptero- 

 dacfylus, not for the group as now known *. 'J'he merit of 

 recognizing that order clearly rests with von Meyer, and 

 the suggestion of a name for it cannot be important unless 

 the name is suitable. Hecognition of avian affinities in 

 the bones of Pterodactyles in 1864 proved the starting- 

 point of work among fossil reptiles which ended in the recog- 

 nition of similar avian characters in portions of skeletons of 

 other orders previously regarded as entirely reptilian. And 

 on that account the name Oriiithosauria is convenient, as 

 expressing a new and truer point of view. 



The Pterosauria of Owen and Zittel is not the Pterosaurii 

 of J. J. Kaup any more than the Ornithosauria of 1869 is 

 the Ornithosaurii of Fitzinger and Bonaparte ; but while the 

 former name appears to me to perpetuate a fundamental 

 error, the latter is based on important truths of organic and 

 osteological structure, which are becoming generally recog- 

 nized. I proposed (Journ. Linn. Soc, Dec. 1876) to limit 

 de Blainville's Pterodactylia to the Jurassic Pterodactyles as 

 an order comparable to the Ornithocheiroidea. And if the 

 name Pterosauria were retained, it could only be as a substi- 

 tute for Pterodactylia, indicating the short-tailed animals with 

 long hind limbs, of which Pterodacti/lus is the type. And in 

 any case the name must be limited to the group for which it 

 was originally proposed, as in the classification given in the 

 Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist, for March 1891. 



XLVII. — Notes on the Trionychian Genus Pelochelys. 

 By G. Baur. 



Dr. Alexander Strauch f has lately described a new species 

 oi Pelochelys from Futschau (Chiiiaj under the name P. Polja- 

 kowii. This species, which is doubtless distinct from the 

 type of I^elochelys Cantoris, Gray, is characterized by its 

 broad interorbital portion, which is equal to the postorbital 

 arch. 



According to Boulenger the forms of Pelochelys from the 

 Philippines are identical with those of the continent [P. Can- 

 toris^. I have lately examined, through the kindness of 



♦ Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., August 1870. 



t Strauch, JJr. Alexander, " 13emerkungen iiber die Schildkroten- 

 fiammlung im zoologlschen Museum der kaiserl. Akad. d. Wiss, St. 

 IVtersh.," St. Pdtpr.^bourg, l^$)0, M(5rn. Acad. Imp. Sc. 7' s^rie, tome 

 xxxviii. 1.0. l^ pp. 118 li'O, pi. iv. ff. l-.">. 



