'l60 1»HIL0S0PHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 1758. 



away, by the washing of the sea against it ; and to judge by what had happened 

 in his own memory, it must have extended beyond these bones less than a cen- 

 tury ago. There were several regular strata or layers of stone, of some yards 

 thickness, that ran along the cliff, nearly parallel to the horizon and to each 

 other. He mentioned this to obviate an objection, that this animal might have 

 been upon the surface, and in a series of years might have sunk down to where 

 it lay ; which would appear impossible, at least when the stones, &c. had taken 

 their present consistence. 



Where there is only the superior maxilla remaining, there are no teeth ; but 

 the sockets are visible and deep, and at the same distances from each other as 

 the teeth in the other part of the jaw. The tip or extremity of the bill was en- 

 tire for 4 or 5 inches, having both maxillae, with their teeth, and towards the 

 point large fangs. Part of the bill and head were covered with the rock. 



There were 10 vertebras, from 3 to 4 half inches in diameter, and about 3 

 inches long, some of them separated in taking up. They were about 2 inches in 

 the rock. There was observed something like bone to stretch from the vertebrae, 

 and intending to take it up whole, begun to cut at what they thought a proper 

 distance ; but found they cut through a bone ; and with the vertebrae brought 

 ap 3 or 4 inches of the os femoris, with the ball, covered with the periosteum : 

 but the animal had been so crushed hereabouts, that they could make little of 

 the socket or os innominata. Several of the ribs came up with the vertebrae : 

 they were broken, and laid parallel to the vertebrae; but not quite close, there 

 being some of the rock between them. The periosteum is visible on many of 

 the bones. There were 12 vertebrae remaining in the rock, with which they 

 are almost covered, especially towards the extremity. 



«f4The place where these bones lay, was frequently covered with sea-sand, to the 

 depth of 2 feet, and seldom quite bare ; which was the occasion of their being 

 rarely seen : but being informed that they had been discovered by some people 2 

 or 3 years before, they had one of them with them on the spot, who told them 

 that when he first saw it, it was entire, and had 2 short legs on that part of the 

 vertebrae wanting towards the head. Though they could not suspect the veracity 

 of this person, they thought he was mistaken ; for they had hitherto taken it 

 for a fish. But when they took it up, and found the os femoris above men- 

 tioned, they had cause to believe his relation true, and to rank this animal 

 among those of the lizard kind : by the length (something more than 10 feet) it 

 seemed to have been an alligator. 



