On a Horn-like Dinosaurian Bone from Wealden

1890; Geological Society of London; Volume: 46; Issue: 1-4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1144/gsl.jgs.1890.046.01-04.14

ISSN

2058-105X

Autores

Richard Lydekker,

Tópico(s)

Morphological variations and asymmetry

Resumo

Among a small series of vertebrate remains lately sent from the Dorsetshire County Museum to the British Museum there is an imperfect bone from the Wealden of Brook, Isle of Wight, so unlike any specimen from those beds which has hitherto come under my observation that I deem it worthy of a brief notice. This specimen, which is represented on a reduced scale in the accompanying woodcut, is a stout and short cone-like bone, of some 5 1/2 inches in length, with the larger basal diameter measuring 4 inches. The cone is somewhat compressed, with a distinct backward curvature, the summit being imperfect. The outer surface is rugged, with irregular longitudinal ridges; while the base is extensively hollowed, and has a smooth and mamillated surface, recalling that of the cancellous cavities found in the base of the horn-cores of the Bovidæ. In all these respects this specimen appears to present a close resemblance to the horn-cores of the Dinosaurian skull from the Jurassic of North America, described and figured by Prof. Marsh in the ‘Amer. Journ.’ ser. 3, vol. xxxvi. pl. xi., under the name of Ceratops . A less marked resemblance is also presented to the longer horn-like bone from the Greensand of Austria, figured by Prof. Seeley in vol. xxxvii. pl. xxvii. fig. 4, of the Society's ‘Quarterly Journal,’ under the name of Cratæomus , which Prof. Marsh (Geol. Mag. dec. 3, vol. vi. p. 207) regards as a veritable horn-core. The dermal spines of Hylæosaurus and Polacanthus do not

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