MANOSPONDYLUS GIGAS. 113 



resemble cementum. Portions referred to fibulae have a subcrescentic section, with narrowed width in one direction. Two 

 fragments of shafts of long bones I can not determine either as belonging to the limbs or pelvis. They belong to opposite 

 sides; each is oval in section, and the diameter regularly contracts to one end. One side is slightly convex in both directions; 

 the other is less convex transversely and gently convex longitudinally. A peculiarity consists of a central cavity present in 

 both at the fractured large end, which is bordered by a layer of dense bone like the outside. 



Measurements. 



Mm. 



Transverse diameter of tibia fragment below cnemial crest 0. 125 



Antero-posterior diameter of tibia fragment at base of crest 095 



Width of fragment of fibula 073 



Thickness of fragment of fibula _ 035 



Length of fragment of unknown bone 145 



Proximal diameter of unknown bone 088 



Distal view of unknown bone 065 



The above measurements indicate a much larger animal than the Cionodon arctaius and one not very different in size 

 from the Lselaps aquilunguis. 



Ill his Cretaceous Vertebrata, pages 63-65, Cope repeats his original description of the 

 present genus and species, accompanying it with illustrations of the type material, PI. II, figs. 

 3-5, and PI. Ill, figs. 1-4. Cope's description and figures demonstrate conclusively the extremely 

 fragmentary and totally inadequate nature of the material upon which the genus and species 

 were based. The fragments supposed by Cope to pertain to the ischia are now known to have 

 been portions of the frontal horn cores. The "paleontological wastebasket" would be a fit 

 receptacle for what still remains of the type material, while the name should be dropped from 

 paleontological literature. It was perhaps a premonition of this which suggested to Professor 

 Cope the specific appellation mortuarius. Unfortunately vertebrate paleontology is burdened 

 with too many genera and species founded, as in the present instance, on fragmentary and 

 insufficient material. 



MANOSPONDYLUS Cope. 1892. 



Manospondyltjs gigas Cope. 



Type (No. 3982, American Museum of Natural History) consists of two dorsal vertebrae. 

 Original description in Am. Naturalist, vol. 26, 1892, p. 757. 

 Osborn, H. F., Contr. Canadian Pal., vol. 3 (quarto), pt. 2, 1902, p. 15.. 



The type (No. 3982, American Museum of Natural History) of the present genus and 

 species, which Cope provisionally referred to the Ceratopsidse (Agathaumidae) , consisted orig- 

 inally of two dorsal vertebrae. No locality was given by Cope, but he stated verbally to the 

 present writer that they were from South Dakota. I have been able to discover only one of 

 these vertebrae in the Cope collections of fossil vertebrates. This is shown in fig. 105. 



Cope's original description was as follows: 



Manos-pondylus gigas. — Char. gen. — Dorsal vertebra? with short antero-posterior diameter, and gently concave articular 

 faces. Neurapophyses coossified. At the superior part of the centrum, a deep entering fossa; surfaces of circumference 

 otherwise uninterrupted. Tissue of centrum at borders of articular faces coarsely vesicular. The form of these vertebras 

 indicates that this genus is allied to the Agathaurnidre rather than the Hadrosaurida?. No genus of either family known to me 

 possesses the fossa? at the base of the neural arch. 



Char, specif. — Dorsal centrum a little deeper than wide. Lateral surfaces smooth. 



Diameters of centrum. 



Mm. 



Articular face, vertical 205 



Articular face, transverse - 200 



Antero-posterior. 90 



Two dorsal vertebra; are the only remains which I can refer to this species, which is the most gigantic of the Dinosauria 

 of the Laramie known to me. In the same neighborhood, but several hundred yards distant, I discovered a huge supratem- 

 poral bone, which differs from those of some of the allied genera in having a simple undulate free border, without tuberosities 

 or processes. Its form is similar to that of Agathaumas," i.e., as broad as long posterior to the quadrate suture. There is no 

 evidence that it belongs to this species. 



a This must be an error, as no cranial bones of Agathaumas are known.— R.S.L. 

 MON XLIX — 07 8 



