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ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN DINOSAUR (HOETALOTABSUS). 

 By E. Beoom, M.D., D.Sc, C.M.Z.S. 



(Read June 28, 1905.) 



Plate III. 



The genus Hortalotarsus was founded by Seeley * in 1894 on the 

 remains of a small Dinosaur discovered at Barkly East, Cape 

 Colony. Though most of the skeleton was apparently in the rock 

 when the fossil was first discovered, it was destroyed by a charge 

 of gunpowder, and all that now remains is the portion of the right 

 limb described by Seeley. A very good description is given of the 

 remains, but the figures are not very good. In Fig. 2 the fibula is 

 represented as a very slender rod except at its lower end, and one 

 would be led to believe by the manner of shading that both the fibula 

 and the tibia are completely exposed. In reality much of the 

 fibula and a fair proportion of the tibia are hidden by matrix. The 

 tibiale and fibulare are much too small. Fig. 3 is rather inaccurately 

 drawn. In the plate accompanying this paper I have given a 

 slightly restored view of the tibia as seen from the inner side with 

 the tibiale in position (Fig. 5). A restored outline of the proximal 

 end of the tibia shows that it agrees closely with the tibia of 

 Massospondylus as figured by Seeley. Fig. 7 shows the posterior 

 aspect of the lower end of the tibia and fibula with the tibiale and 

 fibulare, and Fig. 8 the lower aspect of the same bones. Though 

 the tibiale and fibulare are not anchylosed to the tibia and fibula 

 they fit closely to them, and there has probably been very little, if 

 any, movement between them. The small bone which Seeley 

 regards as the intermedium is quite rudimentary, but is probably 

 rightly regarded as the intermedium. The fourth toe is fairly 

 complete, and shows very well the structure of the proximal 

 phalanges. The first phalanx has the proximal surface slightly 

 concave for the head of the metatarsal, and no doubt had some 



* H. G. Seeley, " On Hortalotarsus skirtopodus, a new Saurischian Fossil from 

 Barkly East, Cape Colony." Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 14. 1894, p. 411-419. 



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