﻿PROF. 
  H. 
  G. 
  SEELEY 
  ON 
  THE 
  PELVIS 
  OF 
  ORNITHOPSIS. 
  ,'391 
  

  

  25. 
  Note 
  on 
  the 
  Pelvis 
  of 
  Ornithopsis. 
  By 
  Prof. 
  H. 
  G. 
  Seeley, 
  

   F.R.S., 
  E.G.S. 
  (Kead 
  March 
  20, 
  1889.) 
  

  

  In 
  1874, 
  on 
  the 
  occasion 
  of 
  my 
  first 
  visit 
  to 
  Eyebury 
  to 
  examine 
  

   the 
  fossil 
  reptiles 
  of 
  the 
  Oxford 
  Clay, 
  Mr. 
  Alfred 
  N". 
  Leeds, 
  and 
  

   Mr. 
  Charles 
  Leeds, 
  M.A., 
  mentioned 
  to 
  me 
  the 
  following 
  circum- 
  

   stance. 
  A 
  well 
  had 
  been 
  sunk 
  at 
  the 
  gas-works 
  at 
  Peterborough, 
  

   which, 
  at 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  36 
  feet, 
  came 
  down 
  upon 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  bones 
  

   of 
  a 
  large 
  terrestrial 
  reptile. 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  

   Peterborough 
  the 
  Cornbrash 
  and 
  Lower 
  Oolites 
  rise 
  from 
  beneath 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  Oxford 
  Clay. 
  The 
  well 
  passed 
  through 
  24 
  feet 
  of 
  blue 
  

   clay, 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Leeds 
  had 
  no 
  difficulty 
  in 
  recognizing 
  by 
  its 
  fossils 
  

   as 
  typical 
  Oxford 
  Clay. 
  Beneath 
  the 
  clay 
  were 
  12 
  feet 
  of 
  grey 
  sand, 
  

   nearly 
  white 
  in 
  places, 
  and 
  fine-grained, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  uncertain 
  

   whether 
  the 
  bedding 
  which 
  it 
  showed 
  was 
  current-bedding. 
  Beneath 
  

   the 
  sand 
  were 
  the 
  bones 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  underlying 
  clay. 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  

   and 
  Mr. 
  Alfred 
  1ST. 
  Leeds 
  were 
  fully 
  aware 
  that 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  

   skeleton 
  was 
  probably 
  on 
  the 
  spot, 
  and 
  made 
  overtures 
  to 
  the 
  Gas 
  

   Company 
  to 
  allow 
  them 
  to 
  drive 
  a 
  horizontal 
  shaft 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  of 
  

   finding 
  it. 
  The 
  bones 
  found 
  remained 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  weather 
  for 
  

   some 
  time 
  till 
  they 
  began 
  to 
  crumble 
  beyond 
  recognition 
  and 
  ceased 
  

   to 
  be 
  interesting, 
  when 
  they 
  passed 
  into 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   enthusiastic 
  and 
  able 
  explorers 
  who 
  have 
  worked 
  the 
  Oxford 
  Clay. 
  

   These 
  gentlemen 
  had 
  the 
  bones 
  still 
  in 
  the 
  matrix 
  when 
  I 
  first 
  saAV 
  

   them 
  in 
  an 
  outbuilding, 
  and 
  I 
  was 
  impressed 
  by 
  the 
  grey 
  sand 
  as 
  

   something 
  to 
  which 
  I 
  knew 
  of 
  no 
  parallel 
  on 
  that 
  geological 
  

   horizon 
  in 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  England. 
  A 
  large 
  rib 
  had 
  been 
  put 
  together, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  an 
  ischium 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  pubis 
  ; 
  I 
  also 
  saw 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   centrum 
  of 
  a 
  dorsal 
  vertebra. 
  On 
  these 
  remains 
  I 
  formed 
  and 
  

   expressed 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  closely 
  allied 
  to, 
  though 
  pro- 
  

   bably 
  not 
  identical 
  with, 
  the 
  large 
  Cetiosaurus 
  in 
  the 
  Oxford 
  Museum. 
  

   After 
  an 
  interval 
  of 
  eleven 
  years 
  I 
  again 
  had 
  my 
  attention 
  directed 
  

   to 
  this 
  specimen, 
  when 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  Leeds 
  wrote 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  deter- 
  

   mined 
  the 
  fossil 
  to 
  be 
  Ornithopsis, 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  comparison 
  with 
  

   the 
  Wealden 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  and 
  inviting 
  me 
  

   again 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  remains. 
  Being 
  otherwise 
  fully 
  occupied 
  and 
  

   unable 
  to 
  leave 
  London, 
  I 
  referred 
  Mr. 
  Leeds 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Hulke 
  as 
  the 
  

   author 
  of 
  nearly 
  all 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  written 
  on 
  Ornithopsis 
  ; 
  the 
  

   result 
  appeared 
  in 
  a 
  memoir 
  on 
  Ornithopsis 
  Leedsii, 
  printed 
  in 
  the 
  

   Quarterly 
  Journal 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  Society. 
  

  

  These 
  remains, 
  still 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  wonderful 
  collection 
  at 
  

   Eyebury, 
  are 
  the 
  largest 
  and 
  most 
  perfectly 
  preserved 
  pelvic 
  bones 
  

   of 
  a 
  Saurischian 
  reptile 
  known 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  Their 
  chief 
  

   characters 
  have 
  been 
  sufficiently, 
  though 
  briefly, 
  given 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Hulke, 
  

   and 
  I 
  should 
  not 
  have 
  added 
  to 
  that 
  notice 
  if 
  it 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  that 
  a 
  

   new 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  reptile 
  has 
  led 
  me 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  divergent 
  view 
  

   of 
  the 
  mutual 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  bones. 
  

  

  