106 PHILOSOPHICAL TfiANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1750. 



Some further Account of the before-mentioned Dudley Fossil. By the Editor of 

 these Transactions, Dr. C. Mortimer. N° 496, p. 600. 



The Rev. Dr. Pocock, f. r. s. sent several specimens of this fossil to the pre- 

 sident ; who put them into Dr. M.'s hands, and desired him to draw up an ac- 

 count of them to be annexed to the preceding paper. 



The first specimen is a mass of stone containing the face and eyes, with some 

 rudiments of legs on the sides ; but the back is entirely broken away. Another 

 specimen contains the head only : a third, the head, and part of the back, but 

 greatly distorted. But the most beautiful and complete are the 1 which are ex- 

 hibited in pi. 1, atfig. 15, ]6, 17, 18. 



At fig. 9, is one of these insects completely extended at its whole length ; 

 where it appears, that the head is covered with a shell or crust consisting of 3 

 parts ; the middle part a, is broad and round ; which he therefore calls the 

 nose : the 1 side pieces are of a triangular form, bb, in each of which is si- 

 tuated a large protuberant eye, cc. The anterior part of the whole is encom- 

 passed by a round border, ddd, which looks like an upper lip ; though he does 

 not take it to be so ; but that the mouth is situated lower down, as in the crab- 

 kind, and does not appear in any of the specimens yet seen. On each side the 

 crown of the head, towards the back part of it, are two small knobs, ee. At 

 ii, in fig. 16, appear some traces of feet, which seem to lie under the belly: but 

 as the belly, or under side, was not distinct, not being cleared from its stony 

 and earthy matter, he could not discern any other legs. 



Most likely the whole back of this creature, when alive, was covered with a 

 case, or undivided elytrum, as is the scolopendra aquatica scutata, described in 

 these transactions, n. 447, by M. Klein, of Dantzic ; and afterwards by the 

 Rev. Mr. Littleton Brown, both worthy members of this society. M. Klein 

 says the case was whole ; and that he was forced to slit it open to shew the back 

 underneath ; when it appears, that the body was trilobated, as in fig. 1 5 . The 

 case, being very thin and tender, may probably have been broken off at the 

 death of the animal, before its being petrified. 



Mr. Brown does not mention in his insect the property of rolling itself up, 

 which this certainly had ; as appears by several of the figures, as fig. 9, 10, 11, 

 13, 17, and 18, which are entirely rolled up ; and as is more particularly repre- 

 sented by fig. 17 and 18, in which it appears, that the tail is turned up under 

 the belly quite to the mouth ; and at fig. 14 the creature seems but half 

 rolled up. 



Dr. M. consulted all the books he could meet with, which give figures of in- 

 sects and crustaceous animals in their natural and petrified states ; but finds none 

 resemble this Dudley fossil so near as M. Klein's insect ; therefore till more in- 



