422 THE SKELETON OF ORNITHODESMUS LATIDENS. [JuneiC;^.. 



Discussion. 



The President (Dr. A. Strahan) desired to emphasize the im- 

 portance of the work which bad been carried out by the Author 

 for some years past. Not only had a large number of valuable 

 fossils been rescued from destruction by his care and perse- 

 verance, but by his skill in interpreting them conclusions of much 

 interest had been placed before the Society. 



Dr. C. W. Andrews congratulated the Author on his success in. 

 collecting such beautifully-preserved reptilian skeletons from the 

 Wealden Beds of the Isle of Wight. He remarked that there was 

 some doubt whether the generic name Ornitliodesmus was applicable 

 to the species now described, it having been applied originally to a 

 number of fused vertebrae which differ materially from either of the 

 two groups of fused vertebrse in the specimen now under considera- 

 tion. The peculiarities in the arrangement of the temporal arcades 

 and fossae he considered to be entirely due to the nearly antero- 

 posterior direction of the elongated quadrate. The Author's 

 interesting account of the mechanics of the wing-bones, particularly 

 of the carpal region, could not be profitably discussed in the 

 absence of specimens and diagrams. 



Dr. A. Smith Woodward expressed his admiration of the Author's 

 work and perseverance. He hoped that, as soon as the paper 

 was published, the specimens described would be mounted and 

 exhibited in the British Museum (Natural History). 



The Author briefly replied. He thanked the Fellows for the 

 kind way in which they had received his paper. He said that 

 the lengthening of the muzzle, as an aid in procuring food, had 

 undoubtedly drawn forward the bones below the orbits. The facial 

 portion of the skull was about -5J times that of the cranial. The 

 length of the skull was 560 millimetres, and the spread of the wings 

 when curved in flight about 5 metres. 



