﻿366 
  H. 
  G. 
  SEELET 
  ON 
  NEUSTICOSAURT/S 
  PUS1LLTJS. 
  

  

  Teleosaurs 
  and 
  Belodonts 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  nearer 
  approximation 
  of 
  struc- 
  

   ture 
  towards 
  Plesiosaurs, 
  which 
  may 
  especially 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   conformation 
  of 
  the 
  skull, 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  vertebrae, 
  articulation 
  of 
  

   cervical 
  ribs, 
  and 
  development 
  of 
  transverse 
  processes 
  from 
  the 
  ueural 
  

   arch 
  in 
  the 
  dorsal 
  region, 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  conformation 
  of 
  the 
  

   elements 
  of 
  the 
  pectoral 
  and 
  pelvic 
  girdles- 
  The 
  proportions 
  of 
  the 
  

   limbs, 
  too, 
  become 
  more 
  those 
  of 
  a 
  Crocodile 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  genus 
  as 
  Neu- 
  

   sticosaurus; 
  and 
  this 
  genus 
  demonstrates,! 
  think, 
  that 
  the 
  Plesiosauria 
  

   must 
  have 
  had 
  ancestors 
  which 
  lived 
  entirely 
  upon 
  land, 
  before 
  the 
  

   limbs 
  came 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  natation. 
  That 
  those 
  animals 
  were 
  more 
  

   nearly 
  allied 
  to 
  Crocodiles 
  than 
  to 
  any 
  existing 
  reptilian 
  order, 
  seems 
  

   to 
  me 
  highly 
  probable. 
  

  

  In 
  such 
  a 
  group, 
  I 
  fancy, 
  we 
  are 
  reaching 
  the 
  parent 
  type 
  of 
  the 
  

   great 
  subclass 
  of 
  reptiles 
  which 
  von 
  Meyer 
  named 
  Pal^osauria* 
  

   which 
  I 
  would 
  enlarge, 
  to 
  include 
  Crocodilia, 
  Bhynchocephalia, 
  

   Chelonia, 
  Ichthyosauria, 
  Plesiosauria, 
  Anomodontia, 
  and 
  Dino- 
  

   sauria, 
  and 
  especially 
  distinguish 
  from 
  the 
  subclass 
  Cainosatjeia, 
  

   in 
  which 
  should 
  be 
  comprised 
  the 
  Lacertilia 
  and 
  Ophidia. 
  

  

  AVhile 
  this 
  genus 
  is 
  closely 
  affiliated 
  to 
  the 
  Nothosaurs 
  and 
  

   their 
  allies, 
  we 
  see 
  in 
  those 
  animals 
  a 
  type 
  rather 
  terrestrial 
  than 
  

   marine, 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  extremities, 
  diverges 
  widely 
  

   from 
  the 
  true 
  Plesiosaurs. 
  This 
  osteological 
  modification 
  amounts 
  

   to 
  a 
  subordinal 
  difference 
  ; 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  group 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  convenient 
  

   to 
  use 
  the 
  name 
  Nothosauria, 
  or 
  to 
  adopt 
  von 
  Meyer's 
  name 
  Macro- 
  

   trachelia, 
  though 
  that 
  term, 
  being 
  equally 
  applicable 
  to 
  Plesiosaurs, 
  

   is 
  not 
  so 
  distinctive. 
  

  

  EXPLANATION 
  OF 
  PLATE 
  XIII. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1. 
  Type 
  of 
  Nensticosaurus 
  ptisillus 
  (Fraas) 
  showing 
  ventral 
  aspect, 
  natural 
  

   size. 
  

  

  2. 
  Skull 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  specimen, 
  twice 
  natural 
  size. 
  

  

  3. 
  Dorsal 
  aspect 
  of 
  a 
  second 
  specimen 
  of 
  Neusticosaurus, 
  natural 
  size. 
  

   Both 
  examples 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  Natural-History 
  Museum, 
  South 
  Kensington. 
  

  

  Discussion. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  W. 
  A. 
  Forbes 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  a 
  similar 
  modification 
  of 
  the 
  

   anterior 
  and 
  posterior 
  limbs 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  Penguins. 
  Pos- 
  

   sibly 
  the 
  anterior 
  and 
  posterior 
  limbs 
  of 
  Neusticosaurus 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  

   used 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  restricted 
  manner 
  as 
  in 
  those 
  birds. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Htjlkb 
  spoke 
  highly 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  paper 
  ; 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  

   it 
  was 
  a 
  most 
  remarkable 
  Saurian. 
  The 
  modification 
  described 
  of 
  the 
  

   fore 
  and 
  hind 
  limbs 
  was 
  very 
  singular 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  remarkable 
  to 
  

   find 
  combined 
  in 
  one 
  animal 
  characters 
  which 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  

   animals 
  so 
  widely 
  separated 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  

  

  The 
  Author 
  agreed 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Forbes 
  that 
  the 
  Penguins 
  presented 
  

   a 
  parallel 
  instance 
  in 
  some 
  respects. 
  

  

  

  