1869.] HULKE STENEOSATJEUS EOSTEO-MINOE. 397 



spherical articular head, below which is a slight swelling, which I 

 take to be the traces of a crushed and worn trochanter. The shaft 

 has been much squeezed. All the fractures show that the interior 

 consists of cancellous tissue, which, in some situations, has a very 

 open texture, without, however, there being strictly any medullary 

 canal. The axis is very slightly twisted, much less, I think, than 

 in existing crocodiles. The line of the anterior border of the shaft 

 is convex, and that of the posterior border correspondingly hollow. 

 The distal end is much damaged, but traces of one condyle are 

 recognizable. 



Dimensions of Femur. 



inches. 



Length in its present mutilated state 14 



Proximal end. Breadth 3 



Transverse diameter of artioular surface 2*1 



Longitudinal diameter of ditto 1-6 



Diameter of shaft at centre 2 



„ „ near distal end 2 



These diameters are from back to front; those from upper to 

 under surface are less. 



Conclusions. — The conclusions resulting fi'om my examination of 

 the fossil remains of this Kimmeridge Saurian are : — 



I. That it is an amphicoelian Gavial-like crocodile. 



II. That it is probably identical with Cuvier's 2nd Honfleur Gavial, 

 " tete a museau plus court/' to which Cuvier assigned vertebrae of his 

 " systeme conveoce ; " Steneosaurus rostro-minor of Geoifroy Saint- 

 Hilaire, 1825 ; Metnorhynchu^, Von Meyer, 1830, who reversed 

 Cuvier's disposal of the vertebrae, and gave those of the " systeme 

 concave " to the short snout ; Steneosaurus, Owen, 1841, who adopted 

 Von Meyer's allotment of the vertebraa ; Streptosj>ondylus, Von Meyer, 

 1847, who returned to Cuvier's association of the opisthocoelous 

 vertebrae with the " tete a museau plus court ; " MetriorhynchuSj 

 Bronn, 1851. 



III. That it is also identical with DaJcosaurv^, Quenstedt. 



IV. That Dakosaurus is probably Cuvier's second Honfleur Gavial 

 " tete a museau plus court.'' 



I now proceed to establish these points seriatim : — 



I. That this Elimmeridge Saurian is an amphicoelian Gavial-like 

 crocodile is proved beyond doubt by its bifurcated (anterior) ribs, 

 the long transverse processes of the posterior thoracic vertebrae, the 

 sutural attachment of the neurapophysis to the centrum, the con- 

 cavity of both articular faces of this latter, the nature of the 

 attachment of the teeth and the manner of their succession, the 

 restriction of the teeth to the symphysial part of the jaw and a 

 very small piece of the adjoining ramus, the relatively long sym- 

 physis, and the single undivided terminal nostril. 



II. It is probably identical with Cuvier's second Honfleur Gavial, 

 " tete a museau plus court." 



In order to make this clear I must first cite briefly those facts 

 relating to the Honfleur Gavials which bear directly on this matter. 



2e2 



