202 Mr Harmer, On the casts of [Oct. 26, 



The following Communications were made to the Society : 



(1) On the casts of Iguanodon bernissartensis, Boulenger, 

 recently presented to the Museum of Zoology by H.M. the King of 

 the Belgians. By S. F. Harmer, M.A., Superintendent of the 

 Museum of Zoology. 



Mr S. F. Harmer exhibited the casts graciously presented to 

 the Museum of Zoology by His Majesty the King of the Belgians. 

 The casts, which are reproductions of some of the famous specimens 

 preserved in the " Musee Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique," 

 at Brussels, were specially prepared for the University under the 

 supervision of M. Dupont, the Director of that Museum ; and they 

 constitute an entire skeleton, together with supplementary casts 

 of the skull, lower jaw, ilium and some other bones. The gift 

 included the elaborate iron- work necessary for the support of the 

 skeleton, which is a copy of the specimen figured in the Bull. 

 Mus. Roy. d'Hist. Nat. de Belgique, Tome II. 1883, PL v. (See 

 also p. 120 of the same Volume.) 



A letter announcing the receipt of this magnificent donation 

 was written, to the Vice-Chancellor on August 12, 1896 ; and is 

 published in the Cambridge University Reporter, 1896 — 97, p. 20. 



The originals were discovered in April, 1878, in the colliery of 

 Bernissart, a village situated between Mons and Tournai, close to 

 the French frontier. The bones, which are of Wealden age, were 

 found at a depth of 356 metres (322 metres below sea-level). A 

 notice of their discovery was communicated to the Belgian 

 Academy 1 on May 7, 1878, by Professor Van Beneden, who had 

 recognized them as probably belonging to Iguanodon. A fuller 

 account was communicated to the Academy, later in the same 

 year, by M. Dupont 2 , Director of the Brussels Museum. M. Dupont 

 announces the discovery of five skeletons, a number which has 

 since then been increased to nearly thirty, all of which appear to 

 have been full-grown. The majority of the specimens belonged to 

 a new species, /. bernissartensis, Boulenger 3 , the specific distinct- 

 ness of which has been later maintained by Dollo 4 ; while the 

 others belonged to I. mantelli, well known in England through 

 the labours of Mantell, Owen and others. 



The bones were in a very friable state ; and it was necessar}^ to 

 subdivide the clay in which they were lying, into blocks, which 

 were then surrounded by plaster of Paris. In this condition the 



1 Van Beneden, P. J. : "Sur la decouverte de reptiles fossiles gigantesques dans 

 le charbonnage de Bernissart"; Bull. Ac. Roy. Belgique, 2 Ser., xlv. 1878, p. 578. 



2 Dupont, E.: "Sur la decouverte d'ossements d 'Iguanodon," Ibid. 2 Ser., xlvi. 

 1878, p. 387. 



3 Ibid. 3 Ser., i. 1881, p. 606. 



4 Bull. Mus. d'Hist. Nat. Belgique, i. 1882, p. 161. 



