and a Diuosaun'an Clan'. 'A 



in llic AlVican and South American regions at least until tlic 

 Cretaceous period *. 



In the same rock as that from wliich the tooth of Ceratodus 

 was obtained at Cape Patterson Mr. Ferguson found the 

 terminal phalangeal bone shown in fig. 3. Among Jurassic 

 fossils this specimen can only be compared with the claw of 

 a carnivorous Dinosaur, and there is little doubt that it 

 represents a genus more or less related to Megalosaurus ■\. 

 The bone has decayed somewhat in the upper part of its 

 proximal end, but is otherwise well preserved and displays its 

 principal characters. The phalangeal is laterally com- 

 pressed, so that its greatest transverse diameter is somewhat 

 less than its original depth at the proximal end. The distal 

 tapering half of the bone is only gently curved downwards, 

 but at the same time bends slightly to the left side. The 

 distal half of the lateral face is marked with the usual deep 

 longitudinal groove connected with the fixing and nourishment 

 of tlie horny claw which originally ensheathed the bone. The 

 proximal end (fig. 3 o) is divided, as usual, by a median 

 vertical ridge into two facettes^ which are nearly flat. For 

 comparison with this specimen one of the finest known 

 Megalosaurian claws from the English Wealden is shown in 

 fig. 4. The latter is shorter and stouter than the former, and 

 its deep lateral groove extends further backwards ; but the 

 general resemblance between the two fossils is very striking. 



It is to be hoped that further diligent search may be made 

 at Cape Patterson to recover the Vertebrate fauna indicated 

 by these fragmentary fossils. The discovery of the terrestrial 

 and freshwater life of the Australian region during the 

 Jurassic period would supply a most important deficiency in 

 palgeontological knowledge. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE I. 



Fi(/. \. Ceratodus avus, sp. n. ; left splenial with lower tooth, from the 

 upper, outer {a), and inner (5) aspects.— Lower Jurassic ; Cape 

 Patterson, Victoria, Australia. spL, splenial bone. 



Fig. 2. Ceratodus Forsteri, Krefft ; left lower tooth from the upper and 

 outer («) aspects. — Recent; Queensland. 



Fif/. 3. Ungual phalange of carnivorous Dinosaur ; lateral and end (a) 

 vi^ws. — Lower Jurassic ; Cape Patterson, Victoria. 



Fiff, 4. Ungual phalange of a Megalosaurian ; lateral and end (a) A-iews, 

 two thirds nat. size. — Wealden ; Sussex. [Brit. 3Iu3. no. 

 R. al76.] 



Figs. 1-3 are of the natural size. 



1 * Ceratodus africanus, E. Hang, ' Comptes Rendus,' vol. cxxxviii. 



A)4) p. 1529 ; from Djoua, Timassanine, Sahara. Ceratodus Iheringi, 

 l''. Ameghino, Public. Univ. La Plata, no. 2 (1904), p. 10, fig. 1 ; from 

 Patagonia. 



t R. Owen, " Fossil Reptilia of the Wealden and Pm-beck Formations," 

 pt. iii. (Mon. Palaeont. Soc. 1«-j5 [1857]), p. 19, pi. x. 



1* 



