DINOSAURIA. 285 



most rare and interesting fossil, have been noted, and will be 

 given, with, the figures, in my History of British Fossil Eeptiles, 

 for which work Mr. Duff has kindly consented to place the 

 specimen at my disposal. In the meanwhile, I beg to offer 

 the above precis of the main characters of the fossil. — Eichaed 

 Owen." 



Other Palaeontologists regarded the fossil as a batrachian 

 reptile ; but no evidence, osteological or dental, has been 

 pointed out in support of this view. 



With regard to the geological age of the matrix, the author 

 has remarked, in the article " Palaeontology," where the belief 

 of some eminent geologists on the Devonian age of the stratum 

 is quoted — " As yet, however, no characteristic Devonian or 

 ' Old Eed ' fossils of any class have been discovered associated 

 with the foregoing evidences of reptiles, which, according to 

 the determination of strata by characteristic fossils, would 

 belong to the secondary or mezozoic period."* The sum of 

 subsequent evidence, including Rhynchosaurus with Lepto- 

 pleuron and Stagonolepis, testifies to the triassic age of the 

 sandstones in question. 



Order VIII. — Dinosauria. 



Char. — Cervical and anterior dorsal vertebrae with par- and 

 di-apophyses, articulating with bifurcate ribs ; dorsal 

 vertebrae with a neural platform, sacral vertebrae ex- 

 ceeding two in number ; body supported on four strong 

 unguiculate limbs. 



The well-ossified vertebrae, large and hollow limb-bones, 

 and tritrochanterian femora of the thecodont reptiles of the 

 Bristol conglomerate, together with the structure of the sacral 

 vertebrae in the allied Belodon, indicate the beginning, at the 



* Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol. xxii., p. 130. 



