752 REPORT— 1893. 



memters of tlie volcanic series,' and that ' there is no true passage of the sedi- 

 mentary rocks into it ; on the contrary, the consrlomerates which abut against it 

 are in great part made out of its fragments, so that it must have heen already in 

 existence before these Cambrian strata were deposited.' 



The grits and slates which overlie the conglomerates in these areas have always 

 been classed by the Geological Survey as the Lowest Cambrian ; therefore any 

 attempt to extend the term Cambrian so that it might include the much older 

 rocks which the surveyors had incorrectly marked as intrusive, and ' chiefly of 

 Lower Silurian age,' the author thinks is unwarrantable. The error which caused the 

 surveyors to class other pre-Cambrian rocks as ' altered Cambrian ' equally renders 

 it impossible to group these with the Cambrian, especially as in no instance has it 

 been shown that the so-called ' altered Cambrian rocks ' have their equivalents 

 amongst the unaltered Cambrian rocks of the Survey. Moreover, it is certain that 

 there is a marked unconformity at the base of the Cambrian (unaltered Cambrian 

 of the Survey) in all the areas in AYales where the beds are seen to rest on the 

 rocks classed by the author and others as of pre-Cambrian age. 



11. On the Eeptilia of the British Trias. By E. T. Newton, F.B.S. 



This communication is a review of our knowledge of the reptiles which have 

 been recorded from the Triassic strata of Britain. In the first place attention is 

 called to the teeth from Durdham Down, Bristol, described by Riley and Stutch- 

 bury in 1836 imder the generic names of Palceosaurus and Thecodontosaurits, 

 which, with additional specimens, were further described by Professor Huxley in 

 1869, he regarding them both as dinosaurian. The two genera are distinguished 

 by the form of their teeth. Closely allied to Pnlaosaurus is the tooth described 

 by Murchison and Strickland in 1837 as Mer/alosaurus, but subsequently named 

 Cladyodon by Owen. Another and still larger tooth, from the same neighbour- 

 hood, has been referred by Professor Huxley to Teratosawus ( = Zanclodoii) : it is 

 very similar to that of Cladyodon, but is more compressed, and has both anterior 

 and posterior edges serrated to the base. 



Mhynchosaurus articeps, from the Keuper of Grinshill, Shropshire, was described 

 by Owen in 1841 from a skull, but was further illustrated by additional specimens, 

 including other parts of the skeleton, described by Professor Huxley in 1887. 

 This form, which is allied to the recent Sphenodon, is also near to the 

 Hyper odapedon, remains of which have been found in the Elgin Sandstone and 

 also in the Trias of Warwick and Devon. Hyperodapedon was made known by 

 Professor Huxley in 1858, but first described it in 1869, and more fully in 1887 

 from a fine example now preserved in the British Museum. 



Telerpeton Elginense, the celebrated lizard of the Elgin Sandstone, was found 

 in 1850 by Mr. Patrick DuS", and described by Dr. Mantell in 1851 as having 

 amphibian affinities. Additional examples were, however, described by Professor 

 Huxley in 1867, who showed that its affinities were with the lacertilia, and not 

 with the amphibia. Telerpeton is probably closely related to the living Sphenodon. 

 Stagonolepis Robertsoni was really the first reptile found in the Elgin Sandstone ; 

 a series of scutes from Lossiemouth being thus named by Agassiz just fifty years ago 

 (1843), but were thought by him to be the scales of a fish. The reptilian nature 

 of this fossil was shown by Professor Huxley in 1858, and more abundant material 

 has been described by the same writer in 1875 and 1877, which has established 

 the crocodilian affinities of this Triassic reptile. 



Dasygnathus longideiis is the name suggested by Professor Huxley for a jaw 

 with long teeth from the Elgin Sandstone, which had at first been referred to 

 Stago?iolepis. This form Professor Huxley thought might be dinosaurian, but 

 additional information is much wanted to establish its true affinities. 



The dicynodont remains, noticed by the present writer at the meeting of this 

 Association last year at Edinburgh, have now been worked out, and the results, 

 fully illustrated, will shortly appear in the ' Phil. Trans.' of the Hoyal Society. 

 Four forms nearly allied to Bicynodon have been named Gordonia Traquairi, 



