LAND ANIMALS OF THE COAL PERIOD, 383 



a reptile of greater size tlian any hitlierto discovered in the coal, 

 probably of aquatic habits, and possibly allied to the great Enaliosaurs 

 or sea-lizards of the mesozoic rocks. The specimen was found in a 

 bed of shale belonging to Group XXVI. of my Joggins section, in the 

 upper pai't of the Middle Coal measures, and about 800 feet above the 

 bed which has afforded the remains described in previous sections. 

 The beds belong to one of those intervals of shallow water dc2)ositiou 

 of sediment which separate the groups of coal beds ; and on one of 

 them I found some yeai's ago the footprints of Dendrerpeton. 



The vertebrae of Eosaurus have been fully and ably described by 

 ]Mr Marsh in Silliman's Journal. Agassiz and Wyman regard their 

 affinities as enaliosaurian, Huxley suggests the possibility, founded 

 on his recent discovery of Anthracosaurus Russelli, that there may 

 have been Labyrinthodont Batrachlans in the Coal period with such 

 vertebras. However this may be, if the vertebrae were caudal, as sup- 

 posed by Mr Marsh, since they are about 2^ inches in diameter, they 

 would indicate a gigantic aquatic reptile, furnished with a powerful 

 swimming tail, and no doubt with apparatus for the capture and 

 destruction of its prey, comparable with that of Ichthyosaurus. 



Pupa Vetusta, Dawson. 



This, the first known representative of palieozoic land snails, so 

 closely resembles the modern " chrysalis shells " of the genus Pupa, 

 that I have not thought it desirable to refer it to a diff"erent genus, 

 though the name Dendropupa has been proposed by Prof. Owen. 

 Mr J. S. Jeffreys, and other eminent conchologists who have seen the 

 shell, concur in the opinion that it is a true Pujm ; so that this genus, 

 and that mentioned in the next section, like Lingula and Nautilus, 

 extend from the palteozoic period to modern times. 



It may be described as a cylindrical shell, tapering to the apex, with 

 a shining surface, marked with longitudinal rounded ridges. The 

 whorls are eight or nine, rounded, and the width of each whorl is 

 about half the diameter of the shell. The aperture is rather longer 

 than broad; but is usually somewhat distorted by pressure. The 

 margin of the lip is somewhat regularly rounded, and is reflected out- 

 ward. There are no teeth, but a slight indication of a ridge or ridges 

 on the pillar lip, which may, however, be accidental. Length 3-lOths 

 of an inch, or a little more. It was first recognised by Dr Gould uf 

 Boston, in specimens obtained by Sir C. Lycll and the writer in ISol, 

 in an erect Sigillaria, containing bones of reptiles, at the Joggins. 



This little shell is remarkable, not merely for its great antiquity, but 

 also because it is separated by so wide an interval of time from 



