558. PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [June 8, 
part. The ribs (¢, e, ¢) are divided in the same direction ; but they 
for the most part are torn asunder, as the division has not extended 
much beyond the backbone. The same may be said of the head (6,¢,@), 
which lies split open horizontally below the ventral margin of the ani- 
mal. The neck (a’) is curled round in front of the anterior end of the 
body in the direction of the head, which lies in a reversed position, as: 
we have just seen, below the trunk, which to some little extent over- 
laps it. The tail or posterior end of the spine seems to have been 
turned round the hinder extremity towards the same region, but none’ 
of itsbonesarepresent; only an indistinct depression indicates the fact. 
As the body lies thus curled up, it measures 15 inches in length ; 
and in width, from the backbone to the distal extremity of the ribs, 
Sinches. The length of the specimen, including the head if stretched. 
out, would be about 35 inches. 
The course of the backbone is obvious enough, running along the 
dorsal margin, turning round in front of the body, and curving back-: 
wards in the direction of the occipital region of the skull; but, un- 
fortunately, at this point the slab is broken away for upwards of 
2 inches, separating by that space the head from the spine. The 
vertebral column (a), as seen in longitudinal section, is about an inch 
and one-eighth wide ; but itis quite impossible to make out any of 
the characters of the vertebra, or even to determine their dimen- 
sions with the necessary precision. All that can be said on this 
point is that, from the assumed extent of four consecutive vertebra, 
the length of a single vertebra may be estimated at about seven- 
eighths of an inch. ‘This difficulty arises partly from the crystalline 
condition of the whole line of the vertebrae, and partly from the 
fact that the whole of the bone is broken up and partially removed, 
little else than cellular or flaky matter remaining, all boundaries 
determining the forms of the parts having disappeared. 
There is, however, one feature of the vertebral column which 
cannot pass unnoticed. The neck (a’) seems to have been remarkably 
long for a Labyrinthodont. From the length of the ribs, the body 
must undoubtedly have been of considerable depth; and unless the 
neck had been long, it is evident that the head, if attached to the 
trunk, as it appears to have been when deposited, could not have 
assumed the position in which it is placed immediately below and 
parallel to the belly. But it is impossible to determine the exact 
length of this portion of the column, as we cannot be sure how 
many of the anterior ribs are wanting. 
The ribs (¢, ¢, ¢) are arranged in regular order, inclining from before 
backwards; but have been apparently torn bodily from their spinal 
attachment by pressure after deposition, and now their proximal extre- 
mities are removed about an inch and a quarter from the column, 
the whole having been afterwards pushed downwards. Twenty-one 
are distinctly displayed in parallel order, about a quarter of an inch 
apart from each other in front; but the space dividing the posterior 
ones is somewhat greater. They are inclined diagonally from the 
front in slightly arched curves, the concavity being forward; and 
traces of eight or ten more can be determined, so that in all there 
