﻿174 
  THE 
  EXTINCT 
  BATRACHIA, 
  EEPTILIA 
  

  

  The 
  cotylus 
  bearing 
  extremity 
  is 
  oblique, 
  the 
  cotyli 
  being 
  sub- 
  lateral 
  for 
  a 
  flexed 
  articulation, 
  as 
  is 
  always 
  found 
  

   to 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  the 
  wrist 
  of 
  the 
  Pterosauria, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  Aves. 
  This 
  bone 
  resembles 
  no 
  little 
  the 
  same 
  element 
  

   iu 
  another 
  species, 
  from 
  Solenhofen. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  private 
  collection 
  of 
  Charles 
  M. 
  Wheatley, 
  A. 
  M., 
  of 
  Phoenixville, 
  Pa., 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  two 
  slender 
  

   cylindric 
  articulated 
  rods, 
  in 
  a 
  fragment 
  of 
  bituminous 
  slate 
  from 
  the 
  tunnel 
  at 
  that 
  place. 
  These 
  have 
  been 
  already 
  

   alluded 
  to 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Leidy* 
  as 
  probably 
  indicating 
  Pterosauria 
  during 
  this 
  period, 
  and 
  though 
  from 
  a 
  different 
  bed 
  from 
  

   that 
  at 
  Gwynnedd, 
  may 
  have 
  belonged 
  to 
  an 
  allied 
  species. 
  They 
  are 
  strongly 
  confirmatory 
  of 
  the 
  characters 
  adduced 
  

   from 
  the 
  former. 
  The 
  phalanges 
  have 
  perhaps 
  been 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  individual, 
  and 
  neither 
  are 
  complete. 
  

   The 
  stouter 
  measures 
  10.35 
  lines 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  1.5 
  lines 
  in 
  width 
  at 
  its 
  slightly 
  dilated 
  proximal 
  extremity. 
  

  

  The 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  femur 
  occurs 
  among 
  the 
  Gwynnedd 
  specimens. 
  It 
  lias 
  been 
  considerably 
  enlarged 
  at 
  appa- 
  

   rently 
  the 
  proximal 
  extremity, 
  where 
  its 
  section 
  is 
  subtrigonal, 
  owing 
  to 
  a 
  broad 
  rising 
  ridge 
  with 
  a 
  shallow 
  groove 
  

   on 
  one 
  side. 
  The 
  distal 
  extremity 
  is 
  compressed 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  proximal, 
  and 
  is 
  oval 
  in 
  section. 
  

   No 
  condyles 
  preserved. 
  

  

  Lines. 
  

   Length 
  of 
  part 
  preserved, 
  16. 
  

  

  Diameter 
  at 
  proximal 
  fourth, 
  2.25 
  

  

  " 
  narrowest 
  portion, 
  1.5 
  

  

  A 
  phalange 
  (No. 
  43) 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  a 
  larger 
  individual 
  than 
  any 
  whose 
  bones 
  are 
  above 
  

   identified. 
  The 
  proximal 
  extremity 
  is 
  occupied 
  by 
  a 
  cotylus; 
  the 
  distal 
  follows 
  immediately 
  a 
  constriction, 
  and 
  is 
  

   curved 
  slightly 
  upwards, 
  furnishing 
  an 
  extensive 
  longitudinally 
  oval 
  condyloid 
  surface. 
  It 
  is 
  immediately 
  followed 
  by 
  

   a 
  portion 
  of 
  a 
  succeeding 
  bone, 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  ungueal 
  phalange. 
  Length, 
  4.5 
  lines; 
  depth 
  at 
  cotylus, 
  

   1.1 
  line. 
  

  

  Two 
  pairs 
  of 
  elements 
  I 
  have 
  regarded 
  as 
  pubes, 
  though 
  they 
  are 
  narrower 
  than 
  usual 
  in 
  Pterosauria, 
  and 
  nearly 
  

   of 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  those 
  of 
  crocodiles. 
  Their 
  sizes 
  differ, 
  and 
  are 
  appropriate 
  to 
  the 
  proportions 
  of 
  two 
  individuals, 
  to 
  

   which 
  other 
  elements 
  appertained. 
  In 
  both 
  cases 
  the 
  pubes 
  are 
  parallel 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  and 
  near 
  together; 
  their 
  

   proximal 
  extremities 
  slightly 
  dilated 
  and 
  concave; 
  distal 
  extremities 
  much 
  more 
  dilated 
  and 
  convex. 
  These 
  are 
  not 
  

   diapophyses 
  broken 
  off, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  constricted 
  medially 
  and 
  dilated 
  distally. 
  The 
  longer 
  pair 
  lie 
  closer 
  to 
  the 
  

   series 
  of 
  vertebrae 
  No. 
  20, 
  which 
  are 
  sacral 
  or 
  lumbar, 
  and 
  have 
  short, 
  broad, 
  and 
  not 
  dilated 
  diapophyses. 
  

  

  Lines. 
  

   Length 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  longer 
  pah, 
  5. 
  2 
  

  

  Distal 
  breadth, 
  2. 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  shorter, 
  3.5 
  

  

  Distal 
  breadth, 
  1.5 
  

  

  A 
  short 
  element, 
  with 
  terminal 
  divaricating 
  limbs, 
  which 
  are 
  equal 
  to 
  it, 
  and 
  to 
  each 
  other," 
  resembles 
  the 
  fur- 
  

   cula 
  of 
  Pterosauria 
  from 
  Solenhofen, 
  and 
  especially 
  a 
  similar 
  element 
  in 
  the 
  Mcgadactylus 
  polyzelus. 
  The 
  

   limbs 
  are 
  not 
  strictly 
  symmetrical, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  fracture, 
  or 
  to 
  pressure; 
  it 
  may, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  indicate 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  a 
  curved 
  pterygoid 
  with 
  divergent 
  ectopterygoicl 
  at 
  one 
  side. 
  Length 
  of 
  shaft 
  3.3 
  lines; 
  

   of 
  a 
  limb, 
  1.75 
  lines; 
  width 
  of 
  a 
  slightly 
  dilated 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  limb, 
  1.4 
  lines. 
  

  

  Two 
  similar 
  pieces 
  occur 
  several 
  times, 
  which 
  are 
  of 
  difficult 
  interpretation. 
  Each 
  is 
  subparallelogTammic 
  with 
  

   one 
  nearly 
  straight 
  side; 
  the 
  extremity 
  is 
  entirely 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  a 
  deep, 
  narrow 
  emargiuation, 
  which 
  is, 
  

   therefore, 
  bounded 
  by 
  two 
  points, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  longer. 
  From 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  longer 
  point 
  projects 
  a 
  

   rounded 
  quadrate 
  portion, 
  whose 
  outline 
  comes 
  into 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  point; 
  its 
  other 
  outline 
  is 
  opposite 
  the 
  angle 
  of 
  

   the 
  emargination. 
  Margin 
  behind 
  it 
  broken. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  preceding 
  interpretations 
  be 
  correct, 
  the 
  genus 
  Rhabdopelix 
  had 
  an 
  elongate 
  neck, 
  with 
  the 
  long 
  tail 
  of 
  

  

  * 
  Copied 
  in 
  Dana's 
  Manual 
  of 
  Geology. 
  

  

  