Page:Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, vol. 33.djvu/227

Rh In the collections made by Captain Luard, R.E., in the Gibraltar caverns are two bones of Chelonians which Mr. Busk has kindly permitted me to inspect.

The larger is a much mutilated humerus or femur; which of the two it is difficult to say, from injuries, it having lost the proximal and a portion of the distal extremity. It belonged, however, to a large Chelonian, inasmuch as the remaining length is 130 millimetres, and least girth of the shaft 71 millimetres. A deep circular pit on the anterior and inner aspect of the shaft near the head seems peculiar as compared with the larger recent marine and land species. To which of the two groups it belongs is not evident; but possibly, from the prominent ridges, it may have belonged to the latter.

The small right radius (Plate VI. figs. 7, 7a) has lost its distal articular aspect, but is otherwise entire. The surface is remarkably smooth, and without the rugosities of the humerus of the larger Maltese Testudinea.

The above is clearly the radius of a land or freshwater tortoise of larger dimensions than any recent European species.

The humeral aspect (fig. 7a) is slightly concave ; but, excepting the dimensions, the specimen does not present other noteworthy peculiarities; the least girth of its shaft is 28 millimetres.

The two bones represent species differing very much in size, and are of interest with reference to further discoveries in connexion with the fossil fauna described by Mr. Busk, F.R.S., in a paper read before the Zoological Society of London on May 2, 1876.

Fig. 1. Caudal vertebra of Testudo robusta, natural size.

Figs. 2, 2a. Right coracoid of the scapula of T. robusta, natural size.

Figs. 3, 3a. Right tibia of T. robusta, natural size.

Figs. 4, 4a, 4b. Proximal third of the left femur of T. robusta, natural size.

Figs. 5, 6, 7. Phalangeal bones of T. robusta, natural size.

Fig. 1. Left radius of Testudo robusta, natural size.

Figs. 2, 2a. Left radius of T. robusta, natural size.

Figs. 3, 3a, 3b. Portion of a left scapula of T. Spratti, natural size.

Figs. 4, 4a. Left tibia of T. Spratti, natural size.

Figs. 5, 5a, 5b. Portion of a right femur of Lutremys europæa?, natural size.

Figs. 6, 6a. Portion of a right humerus of L. europæa?, natural size.

Figs. 7, 7a. Right radius of a Tortoise from the rock-cavities of Gibraltar, natural size.

Prof. inquired what was the probable geological age of these remains, as this seemed to him a point of much interest.

The stated that his paper was purely palæontological,