104 ON THE STAGONOLEPIS ROBERTSONI AND THE 
Geoffroy made his observations are probably to be seen there. At 
any rate, the beautifully preserved remains of Teleosaurus temporalis 
and 7. Cadomensis, in that collection, fully bear out his statements. 
In these Crocodt/ia (and I may add in 7. Bollensis in the same col- 
lection), the dorsal scutes are arranged in only two longitudinal 
series, or, in other words, there are only two scutes in the successive 
transverse rows, which occupy the middle of the dorsal region. In 
T. Cadomensis, it is clear that each pair of scutes corresponds with 
a vertebra; and the posterior two-thirds of the broad terminal face 
of the short and thick spinous process is so shaped that the interior 
faces of its appropriate pair of scutes seem to have rested upon and 
have been closely connected with it. The internal edge of every 
scute is thick, and interlocks with its fellow by strong serrations. 
The suture thus formed lies in the middle line. The anterior edge, 
presents a broad articular facet, overlapped by the posterior edge of 
the preceding scute ; the posterior edge thins out to overlap its suc- 
cessor. The outer edge also thins out, and neither its upper nor its 
under surfaces present the least trace of overlapping, or being over- 
lapped by, or articulating with, other scutes. 
Dr. A. Wagner,! who has given a very good account of the dermal 
armour of Jeleosaurus Cadomensis, finds only two longitudinal rows 
of dorsal scutes, either in this species or in JA/pstriosaurus ALuenstert. 
Bronn and Kaup? figure only two longitudinal series of dorsal scutes 
in their Pelagosaurus typus; and I can nowhere find the least evi- 
dence that the dorsal scutes were connected by anything more than 
the general integument with the lateral or ventral scutes. 
Professor Owen® admits the existence of a double row of large or 
peculiarly formed medio-dorsal scutes in Ye/eosaurus Chapneannt ; 
but he evidently conceives, from the following passage, that the 
lateral scutes were directly articulated with the dorsal ones, so that 
the body was surrounded by continuous circles of bony plates :— 
“The verticillate cuirass of these ancient Crocodiles is thus 
securely braced round the trunk by this interlocking of the inferior 
extremities of each ring of scutes, whilst the imbricated arrange- 
ment would allow of a certain sliding motion of the rings upon each 
other, sufficient for the expansion of the chest in breathing.” 
No evidence is produced in favour of the existence of a structure 
1 Abhandlungen iiber die Gavial-artigen Reptilien der Lias-Formation, 1842. 
’ Die fossilen Ueberreste Gavial-artigen Saurier aus der Lias-Formation in der k. 
palaontologischen Sammlung zu Munchen. Abhandlungen der Mathem.-Physikalischen 
Classe der Koniglichen Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Bd. v. 1850. 
% Report on British Fossil Reptiles, Rep. British Assoc. 1841. 
