688 



PEOF. T. H. HUXLEY OBSERVATIONS 



fairly well seen. The femur is directed forwards, outwards, and 

 dorsad, its proximal end being close to the acetabulum. The bones 

 of the leg are sharply bent at the knee, where they lie close to the 

 distal end of the femur, but slightly dislocated backwards. At their 

 distal ends they are in close proximity to the remains of the tarsus 

 and metatarsus. The femur is a short and stout bone, bent so as to 

 be slightly concave on the ventral and convex on the dorsal surface 

 The proximal end is a good deal injured, but it obviously expanded 

 to its articular surface and was quite Lizard-like. The middle of 

 the shaft is rounded and little more than half the diameter of the 

 ends of the bone. The inner condyle is stouter than the outer, and 

 between the two there is a deep intercondyloid depression. At about 

 the junction of the middle with the proximal third, the ventral face 

 exhibits ^longitudinal elevation, which I take to be the commence- 

 ment of a strong trochanteric ridge, such as exists in Sphenodon. 

 The tibia and fibula are not fully exposed, but the former must have 

 been much shorter than the femur ; the distal end is trihedral ; the 

 middle of the shaft is flattened, and the proximal end somewhat 

 expanded. The fibula seems to have had a similar form, but it was 

 much more slender. Only fragments of the tarsal bones are pre- 

 served. 



There are indications of five metatarsals, only three of which are 

 represented in Plate XXYI. fig. 12. They increase in length from 

 the first to the third, if not to the fourth. The first is 17 millim. long, 

 the second 35 millim., the third 45 millim., and each has a breadth of 

 about 10 millim. Of the fourth only an imperfect impression of 

 the proximal half remains. These four metatarsals lie close together 

 and parallel with one another. The fifth digit was set at a distance 

 from the fourth, as is usual in Lizards, but only the impression of the 

 characteristically broad basal end of the fifth metatarsal is preserved*. 

 The first phalanx of the first digit is 14 millim. long, and the second 

 seems to have had about the same length. There are two frag- 

 mentary phalanges of the second and third digits respectively. 



Measurements of the Pelvis and Bind Limb. 





Hyperodapedon. 



Sphenodon 



Pubis from acetabulum to 



medial 







.... 74 



19 





121 



40 



,, breadth, proximal end 



41 



8 





23 



3 



„ „ distal end. . . 



36 



8-5 





80 



26 



Pibula, length ...... 



80 (about) 



25-5 





. 17 



8 



ii- 



35 



12-5 



„ iii 



45 



15 



* The indications of the structure of the metatarsus which I have interpreted 

 as above, are somewnat obscure. Even with large-sized figures, their value 

 could hardly be estimated without examination of the original. 



