Stewart.] Cretaceous Fishes. 319 



in Xiphactinus, especially as there seems to be a suture indi- 

 cated between this and a bone just above which articulates with 

 the jugal ( probably a suborbital ) above. 



Owing to the crushed condition, the prefrontals are almost 

 entirely covered by the ethmoid and frontal. The description 

 of the palatine will be given with the next species. Parts of 

 the operculum and preoperculum are present. The first is a 

 broad Hat plate of bone which articulates with the hyomandibu- 

 lar in a manner similar to that found in Xiphactinus and Ich- 

 thyodectes. The anterior border of the preoperculum is deeply 

 concave, the anterior inferior extremity reaching forward to the 

 angle of the mandible. The hyomandibular of this species is 

 not visible. 



The vertebnv are deeply concave, with deep grooves closely 

 situated above for the neural arches. The ribs articulate with 

 small ossicles set into pits on the side of the centrum. Just 

 above these ossicles there is a deep pit on each side. 



A part of the shoulder girdle, including a fragmentary fin, 

 is present. The fin seems rather small. 



The skull as a whole is especially remarkable for the extreme 

 length of the mandible, and also the long predentary in front. 

 This portion probably had a dermal covering similar to that 

 covering the sword-fishes' sword, and w r as no doubt used as a 

 weapon of offense. In an animal with such a weapon as this 

 we might expect to find powerful fins, but this is not the case 

 with this species. In other respects the skull does not mate- 

 rially differ, excepting in details, from the skull of other mem- 

 bers of the Saurodontida and Tchihyodectidse. 



The type of this species was found in Gove county, Kansas, 

 by Mi-. II. M. McDowell, who presented the specimen to the 

 museum. 



Saurodon ferox. Plates LVI and LVII. 



Saurodon ferox Stewart, Kans. Univ. Quart., vol. jru, p. 183. 



This species is represented by the jaws, including the pre- 

 dentary, and other disarticulated bones and vertebrae. 



The maxillary i> larger than the one just described. Tin' 



