Prof. Phillips—WNote on Xiphoteuthis elongata. 57 
Mammals,’ p. 520, is not the Woodwardian fossil here represented, 
but a true Delphinoid—Phocena crassidens. Further, the evidence 
Gn connection with Plicatula sigillina) on which our fossil was re- 
ferred in Mr. Woodward’s paper to the Upper Greensand is this ;— 
the paint in the Woodwardian Museum is extremely bad ; and, as the 
convex surfaces of the bone rested on it unmoved for years, it came 
off on the fossil, making little crescentic white patches which I at 
first mistook for worn remnants of the little fossil above mentioned. 
I gladly annex the following letter :— 
My pear Sir,—I thought the following observations on the 
Genus Paleccetus might be interesting to you, and you are quite 
welcome to make any use of them you like. 
The Bones have great interest to me, as I think I have an Aus- 
tralian Whale that illustrates them. 
They agree with Balena in the cervical vertebre being anchy- 
losed. They differ from all the known Balena in the Atlas, being 
free and separate from the other cervicals ;—now in these characters 
they agree with a Genus of Whales which I have just described under 
the name Macleayius, from a specimen in the Australian Museum 
in Sydney. 
The Genus Paleocetus differs, however, from Balena and Mac- 
leayius in the form of the lateral processes of the cervical vertebre. 
In Balena and AMacleayius the upper lateral processes of the second 
and following cervical vertebrz are small and rudimentary, and the 
lower lateral processes of the second and third cervical vertebra are 
large, produced, enlarged and united at the end. They are all 
anchylosed together. But in Palgocetus the upper and lower lateral 
processes of the two vertebra appear, by the Photographs you have 
sent me, to be short, united together, forming a rounded lobe in 
the middle of the side of the vertebra, somewhat like (though 
much smaller and less developed) the ring-like lateral processes of 
the second cervical vertebre of the true Finner-Whale (Physalus), 
showing that Paleocetus has many affinities, and decided characters 
fora genus. Indeed, I feel assured that it will form a Family, which 
may be called Palgocetide, perhaps the forerunner of a number of 
fossil species. Yours, very truly, JoHn Epw. Gray. 
British Musrum: Dec, 20, 1864. 
TIT. Nove on AzeHOTEUTHIS ELONGATA. 
By Professor Joun Puitxies, F.R.S., &c. 
Apa very important addition to our knowledge of the Belem- 
nitide contained in Professor Huxley’s Memoir on Xiphoteuthis 
encourages the hope that, by following the steps of Mr. Day, we 
may clear up some other perplexities among the Cephalopoda of the 
Lias. One of the singular forms which presents itself for more 
complete inquiry is the fossil called by Mr. J. Sowerby Belemnites 
pistilliformis, found at Lyme-Regis. It is not the species so named 
