JULY 7, 1892] 



NATURE 



239 



are Saurischian, the capitular and tubercular facets being vertical 

 in the dorsal region, and not horizontal as in Crocodiles. The 

 humerus shows some characters in common with thatof Stereo- 

 rachis dotninans, in the epicondylar groove. In general character 

 the limb-bones are more crocodilian than the axial skeleton. 

 The interc'avicle is described and regarded as a family character- 

 istic of the Belodontidie. In the third part an account is given 

 of Staganolepis, which is regarded as showing a similar relation 

 with the Megaiosauria, to that of Belodon with the Cetiosauria. 

 This interpretation is based chiefly upon the identification of 

 the pubic bone in Staganolepis, which has the proximal end 

 notched as in Zanclodon and Streptosfondylus ; and the inner 

 ridge at the proximal end is developed into an internal plate. 

 A note follows on the pelvis oi Aetosaurus, which is also referred 

 to ihe Saurischia on evidence of its pelvic characters, approxi- 

 mating to the Cetiosaurian sub-order. Part 4 treats of 

 Zanclodon, which is regarded as closely allied to Massosfondylus, 

 Enskelesajirtis, and Streptospondylus. It is founded chiefly 

 on specimens in the Royal Museum at Stuttgart, and in the 

 University Museum at Tiibingen. The latter are re- 

 garded as possibly referable to Teratosaurus, but are 

 mentioned as Zanclodon Quenstedti. The pelvis is de- 

 scribed and restored. Zanclodon has the cervical ver- 

 tebrze relatively long, as compared with Megalosaurus, 

 .ind small as compared with the dcrsal vertebrae, which 

 have the same Teleosauroid mode of union with the 

 neural arch as is seen in Streptospondylus and Massospondylus. 

 The sternum, of Pleininger, is the right and left pubic bones ; 

 but there is much the same difference in the proximal articular 

 ends of those bones in the fossils at Stuttgart and Tubingen, 

 as distinguishes corresponding parts of the pubes in Megalo- 

 saurus and Streptospondylus. The ilium is more like that of 

 Palceosaurus and Dimodosaurus. The limb-bones and digits 

 are most like those of Dimodosaurus, but the teeth resemble 

 Faldosaurus, Euskelesaurus, Megalosaurus, and Streptospondy- 

 lus. Part 5 discusses Thecodontosaurus and Pahzosaurus upon 

 evidence from the Dolomitic Conglomerate in the Bristol 

 Museum. An attempt is made to separate the remains into 

 those referable to Thecodontosaurus and those belonging to 

 Palnosaurus. The latter is represented by dorsal and caudal 

 vertebrse, a scapular arch, humerus, ulna (?), metacarpals, 

 ilium, femur, tibia, fibula, metatarsals, and phalanges. These 

 portions of the skeleton are described. There is throughout a 

 strong resemblance to Zanclodon and other Triassic types. A 

 new type of ilium, and the humerus originally figured, are re- 

 ferred to Thecodontosaurus. Part 6 gives an account of the 

 South African genus Massospondylus. It is based partly upon 

 the collection from Beaucherf, in the Museum of the Royal Col- 

 lege of Surgeons, referred to M. carinatus ; and partly upon a 

 collection from the Telle River, obtained by Mr. Alfred Brown 

 of Aliwal North, referred to M. Browni. The former is repre- 

 sented by .'cervical, dorsal, sacral, and caudal vertebrae ; ilium, 

 ischium, and pubis ; femur, tibia ; humerus, metatarsals, 

 and phalanges. The latter is known from cervical, dorsal, 

 and caudal vertebrae, femur, metatarsals, and bones of 

 the digits. The affinities with Zanclodon are, in some parts of 

 the skeleton, stronger than with Euskelesaurus. Part 7 gives an 

 account oi Euskelesaurus Browni, partly based upon materials 

 obtained by Mr. Alfred Brown from Barnard's Spruit, Aliwal 

 North, and partly on specimens collected by the author, with 

 Dr. W. G. Atherstone, Mr. T. Bain, and Mr. Alfred Brown, at 

 the Kraai River. The former series comprises the maxillary 

 bone and teeth, vertebrae, pubis, femur, tibia and fibula, pha- 

 langes, chevron bone and rib. The latter includes a cervical 

 vertebra and rib, and lower jaw. The teeth are stronger than 

 those of Teratosaurus, or any known Megalosaurian. The 

 anterior part of the head was compressed from side to side, and 

 the head in size and form like Megalosaurus, so far as preserved. 

 The pubis is twisted as in Staganolepis and Massospondylus, 

 with a notch instead of a foramen at the proximal end, as in 

 those genera ; and it expands distally after the pattern of Zan- 

 clodon. The chevron bones are exceptionally long, and the tail 

 appears to have been greatly elongated. The femur is inter- 

 mediate between Megalosaurus and Pahtosaurtis, but most re- 

 sembles Zanclodon and M^sospondylus. The tibia in its proxi- 

 mal end resembles many Triassic genera ; and in its distal end 

 is well distinguished from Massospondylus by its mode of union 

 with the astragalus. The claw-phalanges are convexly rounded, 

 being wider than is usual in Megalosauroids. The lower jaw 



from the Kraai River gives the characters of the articular bone, 

 and the articulation, as well as of the dentary region and teeth. 

 The cervical vertebra is imperfect, but is remarkable for the 

 shortness of the centrum, being shorter than in Megalosaurus. 

 In Part 8 an account is given of Hortalotarsus skirtopodus from 

 Barkly East, preserved in the Albany Museum. It is a 

 Euskelesaurian, and exhibits the tibia and fibula, and tarsus. 

 There is a separate ossification for the intermedium, which does 

 not form an ascending process ; and the astragalus is distinct 

 from the calcaneum. The metatarsals are elongated, and the 

 phalanges somewhat similar to those of Dimodosaurus. Part 9, 

 in conclusion, briefly examines the relations of the Saurischian 

 types with each other, and indicates ways in which they ap- 

 proximate towards the Ornithosauria. It is urged that the 

 Ornilhosauria are as closely related to the Saurischia as are the 

 Aves to the Ornithischia ; and that both divisions of the Saur- 

 ischia approximate in Staganolepis and Belodon. Finally, a 

 tabular statement is given of the distribution in space and time 

 of the 25 Old World genera which are regarded as probably 

 well established. Eight of these are referred to the Cetiosauria, 

 thirteen to the Megaiosauria, and four to the Aristosuchia or 

 Compsognatha. — Mesosauria from South Africa, by Prof. H. 

 G. Seeley, F.R.S.— On a new Reptile from Welte Vreden, 

 Eunotosaurtts africanus (Seeley), by Prof. H. G. Seeley, F.R.S. 

 The President observed that there could be no question as to the 

 great value of these papers, the first of which especially was the 

 outcome of years of experience and study on the part of the 

 author. It was only right to remark that the paper on Saurischia 

 was received by the officers of the Society early in April. Since 

 that date Prof. Marsh, in his notes on Triassic Dinosauria 

 (which did not appear till May 24), had published, as regards 

 Zanclodon, conclusions similar to those at which the author 

 (Prof. Seeley) had already arrived, Mr. E. T. Newton also 

 spoke. Prof. Seeley drew attention to a photograph ol Hortalo- 

 tarsus, a reproduction of a sketch made at Barkly East, before 

 the original specimen had been destroyed in the process of 

 blasting the rock. — The dioritic picrite of White Hause and 

 Great Cockup, by J. Postlethwaite. — On the structure of the 

 American Pteraspidiar, Palctaspis (Claypole), with remarks on 

 the family, by Prof. E. W. Claypole. — Contributions to the 

 geology of the Wengen and St. Cassian strata in Southern 

 Tyrol, by Maria M. Ogilvie, B.Sc. (Communicated by Prof. 

 C. Lapworth, F.R.S.) — Notes on some new and little-known 

 species of Carboniferous Murchisonia, by Miss Jane Donald. 

 (Communicated by J. G. Goodchild.) — Notes from a geologi- 

 cal survey in Nicaragua, by J. Crawford, State Geologist 

 to the Nicaraguan Government (Communicated by Prof. J. 

 Prestwich, F.R.S.) — Microzoa from the phosphatic chalk of 

 Taplow, by F. Chapman. (Communicated by Prof. T. Rupert 

 Jones, F.R.S.) — On the basalts and andesites of Devonshire, 

 known as felspathic traps, by Bernard Hobson. — Notes on 

 recent borings for salt and coal in the Tees salt- district, by 

 Thomas Tate. 



Melbourne. 



Royal Society of Victoria, March 12. — Annual Meeting! — 

 The following officers were elected for the year : — President : 

 Prof. Kernot. Vice-Presidents : Messrs. E. J. White, H. K. 

 Rusden. Hon. Treasurer : Mr, C. R. Blackett. Hon. 

 Librarian : Dr. Dendy. Hon. Secretaries : Prof. Spencer, 

 Mr. A. Sutherland. — The following paper was read : — Pre- 

 liminary notice of Victorian earthworms : Part 2, the genus 

 Perichaeta, by Prof. Spencer. The author described 18 species 

 collected in Victoria, of which 16 are new. 



May 13. — The following papers were read : — On confocal 

 quadrics of moments of inertia pertaining to all planes in space, 

 and loci and envelopes of straight lines whose moments of inertia 

 are of constant magnitude, by Martin Gardiner. — Further 

 notes on the oviparity of the larger Victorian Peripatus, generally 

 known as P. leuckartii, by Dr. Dendy. In this paper the 

 author replied to some remarkable strictures recently passed 

 upon his work by Mr. J. J. Fletcher in the Proceedings of the 

 Sydney Linnean Society. He showed that at the time of 

 writing his first paper on this subject nothing was known as to 

 the method of reproduction of P. leuckartii, Mr. Fletcher's brief 

 footnote to the effect that one specimen dissected was found to be 

 pregnant not of necessity implying the presence of developed 

 embryos within the egg-case. The Victorian specimens, contain- 

 ing in their uterus large eggs, might with equal truth be de- 



NO. II 84, VOL. 46] 



