404 PROFESSOR OWEN ch. xil. 



animal died, and the man only gets the price of a 

 skeleton and skin.' 7 



Owen wrote but few papers this year, his most 

 important contribution being a description of the 

 * Fossil Chelonia of the Wealden,' 4to. 



In 1854 a small series of fossils from the 

 Purbeck Beds at Swanage were sent to Professor 

 Owen by Messrs. Wilcox and W. R. Brodie. 

 The majority of the specimens were remains of 

 small saurians, and consisted mainly of lower jaws ; 

 but the appearance of some teeth in certain of the 

 small jaws suggested evidence of a mammalian 

 rather than a reptilian origin and excited consider- 

 able interest. A paper on the subject was con- 

 tributed by the Professor to the Geological Society 

 in the same year, and a detailed exploration of the 

 place of deposit was undertaken by Samuel H. 

 Beckles at much cost and considerable personal 

 risk. The result of Mr. Beckles's efforts was 

 made known to the world in collected form by 

 Professor Owen in 1871. 



In 1854 appeared Parts V. and VI. of his 

 work ' On Dinornis ' (' Zool. Trans.'), also Part 

 VI. of his ' History of British Fossil Reptiles.' 

 Amongst other writings this year his contribution 

 of the article ' Mollusca ' to the * Encyclopaedia 

 Britannica' may be mentioned. 8 Besides the usual 



7 A paper descriptive of this 8 In this he received the as- 



walrus was read at the Zoological sistance of Dr. S. P.Woodward. 

 Society on November 8. It was published in 1858. 



