226 CHELONIA. 



33002. Slab of rock showing the under surface of the roof of the 

 cranium, imperfect scapulo-precoracoid, a humerus, and 

 what appear to be two marginal bones ; from the London 

 Clay (Lower Eocene) of the Isle of Sheppey. The skull 

 is noticed by Owen in his ' Palaeontology,' 2nd ed. p. 317, 

 and also in his ' Eeptilia of the London Clay/ vol. ii. p. 3 

 (1880). The under surface of the cranium exhibits the 

 contour of the orbits and nares, the sharp alveolar borders, 

 and the channel underlying the parietals, without giving 

 off descending pterygoidal plates ; the extreme breadth is 

 0,330 (13 inches). The scapulo-precoracoid is very im- 

 perfect. The humerus has lost the greater portion of the 

 bone itself, but the contour is almost entirely preserved. 

 The contour agrees extremely closely with that of the 

 imperfect type humerus of Psephophorus rupeliensis figured 

 by Dollo in the ' Bull. Mus. E. Hist. tfat. Belg.' vol. v. 

 pi. iv. fig. 7 ; but the shaft is more constricted and the 

 radial process more elongated. The humerus of the 

 present specimen indicates, however, a somewhat larger 

 individual, its total length being about 0,366 (14*5 inches). 

 The bones regarded as marginals overlie the parietal region 

 of the cranium in the slab. Purchased, 1858. 



R. 31. The nearly entire cranium ; from Sheppey. Figured by 

 {Pig.) Owen in his ' Eeptilia of the London Clay/ vol. ii. pis. i. 

 & ii., and also in his ' History of British Possil Eeptiles/ 

 vol. iv. pis. xxx. and xxxi. Although somewhat obscure, 

 the contour of the bones of the palate and the forward 

 position of the posterior nares can be traced, while the 

 sharp alveolar border of the jaws is very distinct. The 

 whole arrangement of the palate is essentially that of 

 Dermochelys. Purchased, 1880. 



44089. A slab in two portions containing a number of bones of the 

 skeleton ; from Sheppey. This specimen is noticed by 

 Owen in his ' Eeptilia of the London Clay/ vol. ii. p. 3, 

 where it is incorrectly stated to belong to the same indi- 

 vidual as the preceding. The most important bones are 

 an imperfect scapulo-precoracoid, the two coracoids in 

 their original position, a detached anterior rib, and two 

 ribs overlain by the median row of dermal scutes, together 

 with a large bone which is probably an epiplastral. The 

 coracoids are relatively wider and flatter than in Dermo- 



