440 Dr. C. W. Andrews — Extinct Egyptian Vertebrates. 



towards the middle line. The hypapophysis {hyp.) consists of two 

 processes, one near the middle of the centrum, the other close to 

 its anterior border; the latter, together with the transverse pro- 

 cesses, is strongly inclined forward. 



The whole form of the vertebra seems to me to itfdicate that the 

 body was deep and laterally compressed, as in some water-snakes, 

 and to point strongly to the conclusion that this animal was aquatic 

 in its habits. Its association with the remains of Zeuglodonts, 

 Sirenians, and marine turtles seems to support this. 



This snake is no doubt a close ally of Palceophis, and must 

 be referred to the same family ; but the greater height and 

 narrowness of the vertebrse, the more ventral position of the trans- 

 verse processes, and of their surfaces for articulation with the 

 ribs (r.), as well as several points in the structure of the neural 

 arch and its articulations, justify the generic separation of this type. 

 I propose for it the name Moeriophis, referring to the locality in 

 which it was found, and its specific name will be M. ScJiweinfurthi, 

 after Dr. G. Schweinfurth, who has done so much to add to our 

 knowledge of Egypt in so many directions, and who seems to have 

 been the first to collect vertebrate remains in the Fayl5m. 



The dimensions of one of these vertebrse are as follows : — 



lilUl 



Greatest height (from top of neural spine to end of hypapophysis) ... 85 



Greatest width (between ends of transverse processes) 25 



Width of zygosphene 



"Width of articular cup of centrum 

 Height of articular cup of centrum 

 Extreme length of centrum 

 "Width of neural canal 



Chelonia. 



Chelonian remains are fairly common in the lower beds in which 

 Moeritherium and Gigantophis occur, and some nearly complete skulls 

 and carapaces were collected. The latter are not in very good 

 condition for the determination of their characters, being, as a rule, 

 traversed in all directions by cracks and coated with gypsum, so 

 that the sutures cannot be clearly made out. 



The Chelonians collected include representatives of the three 

 chief groups, viz., the Athecce, Pleurodira, and Gryptodira. 



JPsephopJiorus eoccenus, sp. nov. 



The AtheccR are represented by a humerus and possibly some 

 masses of scutes. 



The humerus (Fig. 3) differs widely from that of all land and 

 fresh-water tortoises and of all the marine turtles, except Sphargis. 

 In fact, it belongs to the most specialized type of swimming humerus 

 found among the pelagic Chelonia (parathalassic type of Wieland, 

 Am. Journ. Sci., ser. iv, vol. ix, 1900, p. 420). Among the forms 

 of Athecate Chelonia of which the humerus is known, the present 

 species (Fig. 3) seems to approach most nearly to PsepJiophorus, 

 the chief points of difference being that the ulnar crest (a) is more 



