—_ ‘ sqd4d4he~7 Deter of Pellicctin whrewbow, re \ eas 49 — 8b a ena (\Y5—22b LL] —}08 100 — yb 35) hoe Lqs — 53). es eee Sa Ly = 30 3, — 3 Gy— Sy Fo — 62 L3— 8) 88 —Q2. TRANSACTIONS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. VOLUME VI. tes wy Puna WS LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY : SOLD AT THEIR HOUSE IN HANOVER-SQUARE; AND BY MESSRS. LONGMANS, GREEN, READER, AND DYER, PATERNOSTER-ROW. 1869. ry ~ *, . . ; € ‘ ae ; 4). ae t cw jin wwe 8 og ey whe | a oS Ae } : CON TENTS I. On the Characters and Affinities of Potamogale, a genus of Insectivorous Mammals. By Guorce J. Auman, F.RB.S., Corr. Mem. Zool. Soc. Lond., Regius Professor of Natural History in the University of Edinburgh, and oe Keeper of the Edin- burgh Museum of Natural History. . . . .- } yaad epaset Il. On some Indian Cetacea collected by Waurer Ex.iot, pe By Professor OWEN, eS ei A eee Pra elas eae ge ee rich od hap eed x Mm | III. On the Osteology of the Dodo aa es ineptus, Linn. a By Professor Owen, F.B.S., PS ee. ne 3 Ene te AD. 1V. Description of the Skeleton Me Inia geoffrensis and ui the Skull of Pontoporia blainvillii, with Remarks on the Systematic Position of these Animals in the Order Curacea. By Wiuiam Heyry Fuiowsr, F.BS., FRCS, FZS., &., Conservator of the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England . 87 V. On «a Raptorial Bird transmitted by Mr. Axversson from Damara Land. By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S. iC See Ma ics! 2 yes ee a ee eT, VI. On some Fossil Birds from the ae Cave, Malta. By W. K. Parxer, .2.S., MESES LCM Gs ee. ee , mist Pty ate nee leas VII. Synopsis of the species of recent Crocodilians or Emydosaurians, chiefly founded on the specimens in the British Museum and the Royal College of Surgeons. By Dr. Joun Epwarp Gray, F.RS., V.P.ZS., PLS, &e. . 6. ee . 125 VIII. Note to Memoir on the Indian Cetacea collected by Six Waurer Exuior. By Pro- fommorsOuvmn ch Aes, UZ Gb. 8a ek os) Ae at ak, 171 IX. Contributions towards a more complete knowledge of the Skeleton of the Primates. By Sv. Guorae Mrvarr, F.L.S., Lecturer on Comparative Anatomy at St. Mary's Hospital. Part 1. The Appendicular Skeleton of Simia. . - + + - . 175 X. Description of the Remains of three eatinct Species of Elephant, collected by Captain Sprart, C.B., R.N., in the Ossiferous Cavern of Zebbug, in the Island of Malta. By Grorce Buss, F.R.S. ; nee y Tee the Notes ib the late H. Faucoyrr, M.D., PERS dag : Oil Sumer tas wicks Vee ly CONTENTS. XI. On a Species of Dormouse (Myoxus) occurring in the Fossil state in Malta. By x bare ADAMS, MOR. PiGaSs 6 ssa a te a) ee cep Seine eens im XII. On the Osteology of the Cachalot or Sperm-Whale (Physeter macrocephalus). By Wim Henry Frower, F.R.S., ARCS. P.LS., F.GS., F.ZS., Conservator of the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England . . . . . 309 XIII. On a Picture supposed to represent the Didine Bird of the Island of Bourbon (Réunion). By Aurrep Newton, M.A., F.LS., F.ZS.,de. . . . . . 378 XIV. An account of the Fishes of the States of Central America, based on collections made by Capt. J. M. Dow, F. Gopman, Esg., and O. Sarvin, Esq. By ALBERT Guytumr, MEAS MD PhDs RR S.5 FZ ey eee ee ee eMC XV. On Divornis (Part XI.): containing a Description of the Integument of the Sole, and Tendons of a Toe, of the Foot a Dinornis robustus, Ow. By Professor Ornate JS. IVA BR os Ses. colton Be Ree dogg cea ern Loe XVI. On Dinornis (Part XII.): containing a Description of the Femur, Tibia, and Meta- tarsus of Dinornis maximus, Owen. By Professor OWEN, F.R.S., P.ZS., de. 497 XVII. On the Osteology of the a Ss a Sarg = W. K. Parker, ORES ETS oy Perey eves Phe ANS Ang Tl ONS OF Pete L.0.0 0:6 46 AL,,5 O CI ET ¥. I. On the Characters and Affinities of Potamogale, a genus of Insectivorous Mammals. By Grorce J. Auiman, F.R.S., Corr. Mem. Zool. Soc. Lond., Regius Professor of Natural History in the University of Edinburgh, and Regius Keeper of the Edinburgh Museum of Natural History. Read June 13th, 1863. {Prates I. & II.] A. SMALL mammal, with which I was entirely unacquainted, was lately placed in my hands by Mr. Archibald Hewan, who had just returned to this country from the west coast of Africa, where he had been for some time residing, at Old Calabar, in the capacity of medical missionary. ‘The notes which accompanied the specimen were scanty. It is stated to have been observed by one of the natives on the banks of a stream, when it was pursued, and killed, and taken to the missionary-station, where, after having been partly eviscerated, it was put into spirits. In this condition it was brought to England by Mr. Hewan, along with various other objects of interest from the same quarter*. A little examination was sufficient to show that the Old Calabar mammal belonged to the order Jnsectivora, but that, with a well-marked insectivorous organization, it possessed characters of a very peculiar kind, and such as separated it widely from every genus hitherto referred to this order. While engaged in preparing a description of the new insectivore, I showed the speci- men to Mr. Sclater, the accomplished Secretary of the Zoological Society, who at once recognized it as identical with a very badly preserved skin which had been brought * The specimen is now preserved in the Edinburgh Museum of Natural History. VOL. VI.— PART I. B 2 PROFESSOR ALLMAN ON THE CHARACTERS over by Mr. Du Chaillu from tropical Africa, and which forms at present part of the collection in the British Museum. ‘This skin, however, is in a wretched condition; the skull and teeth are altogether absent, and the specimen is otherwise mutilated ; so that it had been quite impossible to obtain from it characters which might enable its zoolo- gical affinities to be satisfactorily determined. Mr. Du Chaillu, however, had already described the animal from his mutilated skin, aided by his recollection of it when alive; and I am indebted to Mr. Sclater for having directed my attention to an article* in the ‘ Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History,’ in which the African traveller describes, among other animals from equatorial Africa, that to which the skin in question belonged, referring it to the carnivorous genus Cynogale, under the name of Cynogale velox, Du Chaillu. Mr. Du Chaillu, however, is not without doubt as to the correctness of assigning his new animal to the genus Cynogale; and having in view the possibility of its being afterwards deemed desirable to construct for it a separate genus, he suggests the name of Potamogale as a provisional generic appellation. The skin having been subsequently secured for the British Museum, it was examined by Dr. J. E. Gray, who disputed the justice of Du Chaillu’s determination of its affinities, and maintained not only that it had no relation with Cynogale, but that it probably did not even belong to the order Carnivora, while he suspected that its real relations would be found with the Rodentia. Under this impression, he proposed for it a new generic name; and the Cynogale velox of Du Chaillu became the Mythomys velox of Gray f. Dr. Gray’s characterization of his new genus is much more correct than that given by Mr. Du Chaillu; but, as just said, not a remnant of the dentition had been left in the skin, which was in other respects so very imperfect that it can afford no matter of surprise to find so experienced and excellent a zoologist as Dr. Gray failing to discover its true affinities; and it is only the chance which has thrown a comparatively well-preserved specimen into my hands that has enabled me to determine the real position and rela- tions of this remarkable mammal. It is not always that provisional names ought to be accepted; they are not unfre- quently a mere subterfuge, in which the ignorance or incapacity of the describer of some new species seeks to take refuge without his thereby abrogating his claim to be regarded as the original namer, though sounder views of the obvious facts may prove the incorrectness of his determination. But when, as in the present case, the actual absence of data renders it impossible to determine important characters, the describer is quite justified in making the best of the material at his disposal, and, by the suggestion of a provisional name, reserving to himself the right of giving this name to his discovery, if further facts rendering it expedient should be brought to light. * Du Chaillu, “On Animals from Equatorial Africa believed to be new,’ Proc. Bost. Soe. Nat. Hist., yol. vil. p. 353. + Proe. Zool. Soe., 1861, p. 275. AND AFFINITIES OF POTAMOGALE. Bs) It is exactly in this position that Mr. Du Chaillu’s name of Potamogale stands: it has thus precedence over Gray’s name of Mythomys; and the laws of natural-history nomenclature compel us to accept it. The synonomy of Mr. Du Chaillu’s animal will accordingly stand as follows :—Potomogale (prov. gen.) velox, Du Chaillu,= Cynogale velov, Du Chaillu,= Mythomys velox, Gray (gen.). External Characters and Teeth. Potamogale velox (Plate I.) is somewhat larger than a stoat; it has very much the aspect of a small otter, but is rendered especially striking by its broad, almost spatuli- form muzzle and its very large laterally compressed tail. Both fore and hind limbs are short and nearly equal to one another in length. The body is clothed with somewhat coarse but soft hair, which projects from a shorter dense coat of very fine silky hairs ; and the same kind of clothing covers the base of the tail as far as an oblique line which terminates below at about an inch behind the vent, and above at about an inch still further back; the whole of the rest of the tail is covered with short, coarse, closely appressed hairs. ‘The sides of the upper lip give origin to stiff bristle-like whiskers, which commence at the point of the nose, and continue to be borne as far back as a point nearly vertically over each angle of the mouth, increasing in length and thickness from before backwards; the most anterior are short and incline forwards, and they then acquire more and more of a backward direction until we find the most posterior Fig. 1. Hair from the body of Potamogale velow.—A, one of the longer hairs, magnified about ten diameters; B, a por- tion of one of the shorter and ner hairs, magnified about 40 diameters to show its structure; a‘, a piece from near the middle of the narrow basal portion of A; a’, from the middle of the broad terminal lamina ; and a’, the terminal portion of the lamina: the last three magnified about 40 diameters. attaining a length of nearly two inches, and inserted so obliquely that their tips are nearly an inch behind the ears; a few stiff bristles also arise from the cheeks, a little below and in front of the ears. The underside of the muzzle is clothed towards its 4 PROFESSOR ALLMAN ON THE CHARACTERS extremity with very short hairs, which gradually increase in length as they approach the angles of the mouth. The upper side of the head, with the back and the entire tail, and the outer side of the fore and hind limbs are dark brown. The whole of the underside of the body, from the extremity of the nose to the vent, is brownish yellow. The fine hairs which constitute the shorter and denser coat are seen under the microscope to be of uniform thickness, with the cortical substance presenting an im- bricated structure, and the cells composing the medullary substance so disposed as to give a septate appearance to the interior of the hair(fig. 18). The long hairs, A, which project from this coat have a remarkable form: commencing very thin at the bulb, they gradually increase in thickness for about a third of the entire length of the hair, then suddenly contract, and immediately after expand into a broad lanceolate lamina, which terminates in a fine point. The basal portion of these hairs has a thin imbri- cated cortical investment and medullary contents, which consist of an aggregation of small spherical cells (a'). In the broad lamina, the cortical portion has acquired greater thickness, has lost its imbricated character, and is seen to be composed of minute longi- tudinally arranged fusiform cells ; the medullary substance is here composed of aggre- gated spherical cells like those of the basal portion of the hair, and dies out before it reaches the point (a’, a’). The remarkable difference thus observed between the two kinds of hair presents us with a condition not unusual among the Insectivora, and one which finds its maximum in the aculeate genera of this order. Fig. 2. Fi Head viewed from above. Head viewed from below. The muzzle is long and broad, and so much appressed as to acquire a somewhat spatu- late form (figs. 2, 3). It projects in front for half an inch beyond the extremity of the lower jaw, and for more than a quarter of an inch beyond the jaw at its sides; the angles of the mouth are situated at about a quarter of an inch in front of a vertical line from the eyes. Each nostril opens beneath the external edge of a cartilaginous valve, which AND AFFINITIES OF POTAMOGALE, 9) extends over it from the septum, and by which it may be completely closed; the two valves form together a heart-shaped, naked shield by which the muzzle is terminated. The ears (fig. 4) are inserted about half an inch behind the eyes, and project for about the same distance from the head. They are rounded, Fig. 4. the breadth being about two-thirds of the height ; and at about one-fourth from the summit they have a deep notch on their posterior edge: the upper fourth is quite naked, but the rest is clothed with silky hairs. The helix is distinct anteriorly and posteriorly, but is obsolete towards the tip; the anthelix is represented by a short, nearly trans- verse ridge; the tragus is indistinct, but the anti- tragus is well developed. The eyes are very small. The opening of the eyelids, when fully expanded, is one-tenth of an inch in its antero-posterior, and a little less in its vertical diameter; it leads into an oval palpebral chamber, which extends for some distance beneath the anterior and posterior margins, somewhat further posteriorly than anteriorly. In the specimen, the globe of the eye was retracted into this cavity, and thus rendered difficult to detect ; it is about one-twelfth of an inch in diameter, and, so far as could be determined from the state of the specimen, is completely developed, and receives an optic nerve fully proportioned to its size. The fore limbs, as far as the wrist, are clothed with moderately long hair, which on the back of the metacarpal bones becomes very short and appressed, and is thus continued over the back of the fingers as far as the claws ; the whole of the palm, with the under- side of the fingers, is naked (fig. 5 a). The fingers are five in number, and are connected at their bases by a very narrow extension of the skin, but nothing like a distinct web is developed ; they gradually increase in length from the outer finger to the middle, which is the longest of all; the index is a very little shorter than the Fig. 5. annularis; and the pollex, which is inserted a little further back than the index, is the shortest. The claws are of mo- derate size, nearly equal on all the fingers, compressed, curved, and with a furrow on the underside. The hind limbs are clothed, as far as the tarsus, with moderately long hair, which becomes short and appressed upon the entire back of the foot as far as the claws ; the entire sole of the foot is naked (fig. 58). The toes are five in Right ear, enlarged. . Feet, plantar surface.— number; the outer and inner toes are the shortest, the A. Right anterior. inner being a little shorter than the outer; the second, B. Right posterior. third, and fourth are nearly equal to one another in length; the second and third are 6 PROFESSOR ALLMAN ON THE CHARACTERS united by their opposed surfaces for the entire length of the first phalanx, a very narrow extension of the skin existing at the base of the other digital intervals; the claws are of the same form as those of the fore limbs, but are a little longer. The outer edge of the sole projects as a narrow membranous border along the whole of the metatarsal region. The length of the tail, measured from the posterior margin of the vent, is equal to the distance from the same point to the middle of the throat. It is so thick at its base that the trunk seems uninterruptedly continued into it; but it soon becomes laterally compressed, and then grows gradually thinner and narrower towards the tip ; immediately in front of the vent it is nearly cylindrical, with a diameter of about 133; inch; from this point it gradually thins away, and, at an inch beyond it, its vertical height is 13/5 inch, and its breadth ;% inch; while at three inches from the same point its height is 1 inch, and its thickness 7g inch; its lower edge is rounded, and its upper is continued into a membranous crest of about } inch in height, and clothed with the same short, stiff, appressed hairs with which the distal part of the tail is covered, Teeth_—The determination of the dental formula is not without difficulty. . The incisor teeth of the upper jaw (Pl. IL. & fig. 7, p. 10) can be easily ascertained by the limits of the premaxillary, whose suture with the maxillary continues very distinct. They will be found to be three on each side, though one of them closely resembles a large projecting canine ; so also to the first three teeth on each side in the lower jaw the same significance must be assigned. A difficulty, however, lies in the tooth which in each jaw succeeds to the incisors. In position it is a canine, but in form it isa premolar. It follows close upon the third incisor, without the intervention of any distinct diastema; but in the upper jaw it is two-fanged, and in other respects is entirely similar to the premolar which follows it ; in the lower jaw, however, it is implanted by a single fang, and does not so entirely resemble the succeeding premolar as in the upper jaw; this lower tooth passes imme- diately in front of the upper one when the jaw is closed, and must certainly be regarded as its equivalent. Considering, therefore, that in the upper jaw the tooth in question is absolutely similar both in its root and in its crown to an indubitable premolar, I believe we may safely regard it and its corresponding tooth in the lower jaw as premolars rather than canines; and the dentition of Potamogale will then present a series in which the canine teeth are suppressed, and which may be formulated as follows :— = ae é ye a m 3 Siastiog: 3-3) °0-0°*" 3-3?" 3-3” In the upper jaw the first incisor resembles a canine ; it projects more than any other tooth im the jaw; it is conical and pointed, converging above from its base toward its fellow, and then diverging below so as to form a curve whose concavity looks outwards; it is curved also in another direction, having the concavity looking backwards. The I AND AFFINITIES OF POTAMOGALE, second incisor is separated from the first by a narrow space which receives the second incisor of the lower jaw when the mouth is closed ; it is triangular, compressed, with a sharp anterior and a sharp posterior edge—the anterior edge being convex, and the posterior slightly concave. The third incisor is of the same form as the second, but a little smaller. The incisors are each implanted by a single fang. Since in the view here adopted the canine is supposed to be absent, the first pre- molar follows immediately on the third incisor, with an interval so slight as to have no claim to be regarded as a distinct diastema; it is inserted by two fangs; its crown is slightly larger than that of the third incisor, but otherwise it resembles it. The second premolar is also implanted by two fangs, and is otherwise similar to the first. The third has the form of a triangular pyramid, with a small cusp developed from the posterior internal basal angle, and another from the posterior external; it is implanted by three fangs. The first, second, and third true molars are similar to one another: they are trian- gular in horizontal section, with» the apex of the triangle situated internally; the greatest antero-posterior diameter of the crown is to its transverse diameter as 2: 3; the internal. angle of the crown presents a single cusp; the centre, two; and the external side projects downwards as a tuberculate ridge; they are each implanted by three fangs. In the lower jaw (Pl. II. & fig. 8, p. 11) the incisors present, as in the upper, the usual single-fanged insertion.- The first is very small, chisel-shaped, and with its crown conyerging to that of its fellow. The second incisor is high, conical, curved, with the concavity of the curve looking backwards, and presenting from its base to its apex two surfaces separated by a sharp ridge ; it is sharp-pointed, and resembles a canine; it is the most projecting tooth in the jaw. The third incisor is small, irregularly conical, convex anteriorly, concave posteriorly ; it is the smallest of the teeth, except the first incisor. The first premolar is triangular, compressed, with a sharp convex anterior edge and a sharp concave posterior edge ; it has but a single fang. ‘The second premolar is trian- gular, compressed, with sharp anterior and posterior edges; it is implanted by two fangs; its crown is a little lower than that of the first, but it otherwise resembles it. The third premolar is a little larger than the first, triangular, compressed, with sharp anterior and posterior edges; the anterior and posterior basal angles have each a small tubercle; it is implanted by two fangs. The first, second, and third true molars are prismatic, and equal in height to the second premolar; the crown is furnished with three cusps in front and a single one on a lower level behind. They are each implanted by two fangs. A very striking aspect is given to the dental series by the form of the crowns of the second, third, fourth, and fifth teeth of the upper jaw, which are all triangular, much compressed, with sharp anterior and posterior edges, thus vividly reminding us of the teeth of certain sharks. In this respect they resemble the premolar teeth of the viver- 8 PROFESSOR ALLMAN ON THE CHARACTERS ridan genus Cynogale—a resemblance which did not escape Mr. Du Chaillu, and which, doubtless, decided him in referring his animal to that genus. The characters thus presented by Potamogale velox would justify a belief-in the aquatic habits of the animal. Indeed it is scarcely possible to connect with any other mode of life the valvular nostrils, and broad, strong, vertically flattened tail, with (as will be presently seen) its greatly developed hemal arches. The trenchant incisors and premolars, so like the teeth of a shark, also point to the same conclusion, and indicate a diet exceptional among the Insectivora*. Skeleton. (Plate IT.) Cervical Region.—The transverse process of the atlas is broad and flattened horizon- tally. ‘The neural spine is reduced toa mere tubercle. The body of the axis is carinated below; its transverse processes are short, narrow, and directed backwards, while the neural spine forms a large, vertical, laterally compressed, sharp-edged, and hatchet- shaped plate. In the third cervical, the transverse process is longer and thicker. In the fourth and fifth, the pleurapophysis forms a flat process coalescent with the diapo- physis, and extends forwards with a sharp angle, so as to slightly underlap the vertebra in front; while in the sixth it becomes much larger and hatched-shaped, and extends backwards so as to underlap the seventh. The transverse process of the seventh has no canal for the vertebral artery, and consists of a simple stiliform diapophysis. The neural spines of the third, fourth, and fifth cervical are very short, those of the sixth and seventh longer. From the inferior surface of the body of the third, fourth, and fifth cervical a prominent hypapophysis is developed, which becomes smaller in the sixth and seventh, Dorsal and lumbar Region.—There are sixteen, dorsal and five lumbar vertebe. The commencement of a metapophysis shows itself in the second dorsal, acquires greater length in the third, still greater in the fourth, and then continues of equal length as a long blunt process on every vertebra as far as the twelfth; on the thirteenth dorsal it becomes shorter, and is here associated with a short anapophysis, and then continues of the same length, but broader, on the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth dorsal, and on the whole of the lumbar. On the last three dorsal vertebre the anapophysis * The account which Mr. Du Chaillu (Joe. cit.) has given us of the habits of his Potamogale velox is entirely in accordance with what the structure of the animal would suggest. “This extraordinary animal,” he says, “is found in the mountains of the interior, or in the hilly country explored by me north and south of the equator. It is found along the water-courses of limpid and clear streams, where fish are abundant; it hides under rocks along these streams, lying in wait for fish. It swims through the water with a rapidity which astonished me ; before the fish has time to move, it is caught. On account of the rapidity of its movements, I have given it the specific name of velox. The animal returns to land with its prey almost as rapidly as it started from its place of concealment. The great motive power of the animal in the water seems to be in its tail.” AND AFFINITIES OF POTAMOGALE. 9 becomes separated by a wide interval from the metapophysis, and then disappears on the first lumbar. No diapophyses are developed on the fifteenth and sixteenth dorsal ; but they reappear on the first lumbar, and constitute broad, flat processes, directed downward and outward and a little forward, on all the lumbar. The diapophysis of the first lumbar is terminated by a flat, nearly square pleurapophysis, which appears as a simple continuation of the diapophysis, but whose line of junction with it still remains distinct. The neural spine of the first dorsal is nearly vertical, long, and slightly compressed ; those of the second, third, and fourth are equal to it in length, and of a similar form, but incline more backwards, the inclination gradually increasing to the fourth; from the fifth to the tenth, the neural spines are stiliform, gradually decreasing in length, and incline so much backwards that the anterior rests upon the posterior; and the vertebre here present a remarkably imbricated appearance; from the eleventh to the thirteenth, the neural spines are shorter, and incline less backwards ; they then assume the form of laterally compressed vertical plates, gradually increasing in size to the first lumbar, whence they continue of nearly the same form and size to the fifth lumbar. From the body of the first dorsal a small hypapophysis is developed ; it becomes some- what larger on the second, third, and fourth, is reduced to a nearly obsolete keel on the fifth, and then entirely disappears. The ribs are sixteen in number, of which the first nine articulate with the sternum ; the remainder are free. The first is the shortest and stoutest; its cartilage is broad and flat, and articulates with the manubrium; of the remaining ribs, the last two arti- culate with the bodies only of their respective vertebra, while the others articulate also with the transverse processes. The sternum is composed of eight pieces; the manubrium is spade-shaped ; from the second to the sixth, they form quadilateral prisms, gradually decreasing in length and increasing in breadth; the seventh is nearly cubical, with two surfaces posteriorly for the articulation of the cartilage of the eighth pair of ribs; the eighth piece is long and appressed, and carries the small xiphoid cartilage on its extremity. Sacral and caudal Regions.—There are three sacral and thirty-three caudal vertebre, the ossa innominata being united to the first and second sacral. The neural spines, metapophyses, and diapophyses continue to be well developed on the sacral and for some distance on the caudal vertebrae; they then gradually diminish on the caudal vertebre with the diminishing size of these, until towards the end of the tail they dis- appear, and the vertebree become reduced to minute centra. All the caudal vertebra, from the second to about the twenty-third, are provided with chevron bones: towards the proximal end of the tail these bones are remarkably large; they then gradually diminish in size, and become mere rumdients before their final disappearance. ‘They are each articulated in an intervertebral space; most of them develope a short hemai spine, and send off at each side from their lower surface a broad horizontal plate. VOL. VI.—PART I. c 10 PROFESSOR ALLMAN ON THE CHARACTERS The Skull.—Viewed in its vertical aspect, the skull presents a piriform shape between the occiput and a line immediately behind the orbits, and then, becoming suddenly con- tracted, it is bounded by parallel sides as far as the end of the muzzle, interrupted, however, by the projection of the posterior part of the alveolar Fig. 6. border of the maxillaries. The profile contour of the skull, from the lambdoidal crest to the nostril, is nearly a straight line. The basioccipital is thin and flat, broader than long, and extends forwards as far as the junction of the posterior and middle thirds of the tympanic bulle. The occipital condyles are large, about a line distant from one another below; and thence extending upwards and outwards, they reach a point a little above the level of the superior margin of the foramen magnum. ‘The foramen magnum is trans- versely oval; its plane extends upwards and backwards at an angle of about 100° with the base of the skull. The supraoccipital extends upwards and forwards, and forms by its upper and outer edge a well- marked, sharp, lambdoidal ridge. The paramastoids constitute two ‘ small but well-marked processes, which extend horizontally backwards. Skull, vertical as- The anterior condyloid foramina are very large. pect: nat. size. The basispenoid is broad behind at its junction with the basioccipital, and then rapidly contracts as it passes forwards, forming on the cerebral aspect a narrow vertical crest between the internal openings of the foramina lacera anteriora: there are no clinoid processes, Skull, basal aspeet: twice the nat. size. The tympanic and petrosal bones unite to form tympano-petrosal bull of moderate size. The sagittal suture is obliterated, its place being taken by a nearly obsolete sagittal crest. The coronal suture is very faintly indicated by a line which forms an arch, very con- cave in front, where it embraces the posterior margin of the frontal bones. These are AND AFFINITIES OF POTAMOGALE. a | narrow, forming by their union a very convex margin posteriorly, which is received between the parietals and a deep notch anteriorly, which receives the nasal bones. The frontals are entirely excluded from the orbits by the anterior extension of the _ parietals, which, passing between them and the lachrymals, are separated from the maxillaries by a very narrow extension of the lachrymals, which ascends to unite with the frontal. The frontal suture is obliterated posteriorly, but anteriorly it continues as an harmonia. The nasal bones are long and flat, forming a very convex edge posteriorly, where they are received between the frontals, while their anterior free edge presents a wide semicircular notch. The nasal suture, except for a short distance posteriorly, is entirely obliterated; the external edges of the single bone, thus formed, are nearly straight and parallel. The zygomatic process of the squamosal forms a small, horizontal, triangular plate, whose lower side affords a surface for the glenoid cavity. This cavity is bounded behind by a broad vertical process, which checks the retraction of the mandible; the axis of the cavity is inwards and slightly forwards. The facial plate of the maxillary is united internally with the premaxillary, the nasal, and the frontal, anteriorly with the premaxillary, and posteriorly with the lachrymal. The alveolar margin for the hindmost four teeth projects outwards and backwards, form- ing, by its coalescence with the rudimental malar, a com- pressed, sharp-edged process. There is no zygomatic arch. The antorbital foramen is very large. The orbits are very badly defined; they are marked by no postorbital process, and are continued without interruption into the wide tem- poral fossa. The palatine plates of the maxillary form the greater por- tion of the palate; the palatines form the posterior third, and the premaxillaries about a sixth. Two large incisive notches exist in the premaxillary, and are completed into foramina by the anterior edge of the palatine plate of the maxillary. The pterygoid ridges converge from before backwards, and enclose a deep, narrow interpterygoid fossa, whcse roof is continued without interruption into the inferior surface of the basisphenoid and basiocciptal. ; The horizontal ramus of the mandible is straight, with its upper and lower edge parallel; it forms with its fellow an acute angle, with a rather long and very oblique symphysis. The condyle is borne on a distinct neck; its axis is directed inwards and slightly downwards and forwards. ‘The posterior margin of the ascending ramus is thin, and runs from the neck of the condyle upwards and slightly forwards to the coronoid process, and downwards and backwards to the prominent hook-like angle. The anterior c2 Lower jaw, twice the nat. size, 12 PROFESSOR ALLMAN ON THE CHARACTERS edge of the coronoid process runs downwards and slightly forwards, with a convex curve ; it meets the horizontal ramus at about a line behind the posterior molar. Anterior Extremities—The scapula measures one inch in length, and is half an inch broad at its base, which forms a uniform convex curve. From the angles of the base the superior and inferior cost converge towards the anterior end of the spine, where the scapula becomes contracted into a neck, whose superior margin is continued into a slightly prominent coracoid. The supraspinal fossa is posteriorly about twice as broad as the infraspinal fossa; but it rapidly narrows towards the neck of the scapula, and then disappears, while the infraspinal fossa continues still distinct. The long free edge of the spine is continued forwards as a very slender acromion. ‘The glenoid cavity is ovo- triangular, with its apex directed downwards, The subscapular surface is smooth and slightly concave. The clavicles are entirely absent. The humerus, measured from the upper surface of its head to the lower end of the bone, is 1,3; inch in length. ‘The head is nearly hemispherical ; the lesser tuberosity forms a slightly elevated prominence; while the greater tuberosity forms a strong pyramidal projection, by which the axis of the shaft is continued for about 7oths of an inch beyond the head. ‘The shaft of the humerus presents a sharp edge in front, and is smooth and rounded behind. ‘The anconeal fossa is imperforate, and there is no foramen above the internal condyle. Almost the whole of the front of the elbow-joint is formed by the surface for the radius. The ulna, measured from the superior margin of the great sigmoid cavity to the lower end of the bone, is 1 inch in length; the olecranon process is ;%;ths of an inch. ‘The radius and ulna are quite distinct; but the radius cannot be rotated on the ulna so as to effect supination. There are eight bones in the carpus, arranged in the usual proximal and distal series, with four bones in each series. The pisiform bone is large and subcylindrical; it projects backwards from the outer side of the wrist, so as to form a sort of carpal heel. The metacarpal bone of the pollex is the shortest; that of the minimus comes next to it in length; those of the index and annularis come next, and are equal to one another, while that of the medius is the longest. Posterior Extremities.—The pelvis is narrow. ‘The ossa innominata articulate with the first and second sacral vertebre. The ilium is a narrow bone, nearly semicylindrical in shape, convex on its outer surface, and with its superior or anterior end slightly everted. The ischium nearly continues the axis of the ilium as far as the thin tuber- osity, and then turns vertically downwards to form the posterior boundary of the oval obturator foramen. The pubic bones form an angle of about 188° with the iliac, being thus almost ona line with them. The two pubic bones converge towards one another, at an angle of 40°; but they form no true symphysis, being separated from each other at their posterior and inferior angle by a space of about oth of an inch wide, which is AND AFFINITIES OF POTAMOGALE. 13 occupied by a ligament admitting of considerable motion between the two bones at this spot. The femur is of the same length as the humerus, measured in each case from the upper surface of the head to the distal extremity of the bone; it has a prominent tubercle, with a rough surface, upon the middle of the outer side of the shaft. The tibia is 1,’ inch in length, measured from its upper to its lower articular surface. The tibia and fibula are confluent with one another for the lower third of their length. The tibia is curved, so as to present in its upper two-thirds an arch, convex forwards. ‘The fibula is a slender bone, forming the cord of the arch produced by the curvature of the proximal two-thirds of the tibia. The tarsus is composed of seven bones. he calcaneum is large, and projects for about one half its length behind the tibia. The metatarsal bone of the hallux is the shortest ; that of the outer toe is next in length; and the metatarsal bones of the three middle toes are the longest, and are nearly equal to one another. Anatomy of the Soft Parts. The imperfect state of preservation of the viscera, combined with the small amount of time which it was possible for me to spare from other avocations, has not allowed of more than a fragmentary description of the anatomy of the soft parts of the animal. The stomach and the whole of the organs of digestion between this and the vent, with the exception of about an inch of the terminal portion of the rectum, had been removed before the specimen was placed in my hands; so that certain important characters, such as that derived from the presence or absence of a cecum, could not be ascertained. he terminal portion of the canal, however, which escaped (fig. 9) presents several points of interest. The rectum, instead of opening directly on the surface of the body, opens into a sort of cloacal or postanal chamber, which also receives the orifices of the vagina and urethra, and those of the ducts of a pair of large anal glands. These glands are oval, about half an inch in their longer diameter. They are situated immediately beneath the skin, one on each side of the postanal chamber, into which each discharges its secretion by a single orifice. The excretory orifice of each gland opens into the bottom of a little pouch formed by a fold of the lining membrane of the postanal chamber at each side immediately within its margin. Just behind the line where the cavity of the rectum becomes continuous with the post- anal chamber, may be seen several very oblique pores in the mucous membrane of the chamber—apparently the outlets of small submucous glands. The uterus and its appendages and the urinary bladder were also left behind in the specimen; but the kidneys had been cut away with the other viscera. The fundus of 14 PROFESSOR ALLMAN ON THE CHARACTERS the uterus is continued at each side into a long, curved, cylindrical cornu, which gives off the oviduct from its distal extremity. The ovaries are situated at a short distance Terminal portion of intestine with the adjacent structures, slightly enlarged: a,rectum; 6, margin of anus ; c, postanal chamber laid open from behind; d, vulva; «, orifice of uretha; f, anal glands; g, pouches into which their ducts open; #, mucous pores; 7, uterus; /, cornu of uterus; 7, ovary; m, oviduct; n, vagina ; o, urinary bladder; p, ureters. ’ from this extremity, to which they are attached by a narrow cord-like ligament, which accompanies the oviduct; they are surrounded by a hood-like covering of peritoneum. From the uterus a wide, straight vagina passes backwards to open into the vulva, which also receives the orifice of the urethra, and is situated on the walls of the postanal chamber. The position of the mamme was unfortunately neglected to be ascertained before the specimen had been skinned, and it is now impossible to find any indication of them in the dried skin. ‘They are probably uropygial as in Solenodon. The brain was in a very bad state of preservation: the cerebellum and medulla oblongata were entirely broken down; but the cerebral hemispheres were sufficiently well preserved to show that they are destitute of distinct convolutions. The corpora quadrigemina were also preserved ; they are large, and are exposed behind the posterior margin of the hemispheres; the posterior pair are larger than the anterior. The olfac- tory lobes are rather large, and project in front of the cerebral hemispheres. From the details given above, certain characters, as perhaps eminently distinctive, may be selected and embraced under the following diagnosis :— AND AFFINITIES OF POTAMOGALE. 15 . PoramoGaLE, Du Chaillu. Teeth, i. eR ey Set 3-3 323 © Quy P ao mM. 5-3= 36. Superior—first incisors laniariform; second and third incisors and first and second premolars triangular, compressed, with sharp anterior and posterior edges; third premolar pyramidal; true molars prismatic: inferior—first incisor very small, chisel-shaped ; second large and laniariform ; third small, conical ; first, second, and third premolars triangular, compressed, sharp-edged ; true molars prismatic. Muzzle broad, appressed. External ears well developed. Eyes yery small. Nostrils valvular. Limbs of moderate length, plantigrade, pentadactyle. Second and third toes of hind feet syndactyle for the length of the first phalanx. Tail large, compressed ; its distal portion covered with short, stiff, closely appressed hairs, while the hair covering the proximal portion re- sembles that upon the body. Body clothed with soft, rather coarse, hair, which projects from a dense covering of very fine, short, silky hairs. Anal glands two. Anus, vulva, urethra, and ducts of anal glands opening into a postanal chamber. Zygomatic arches absent. Clavicles absent. Radius and ulna separate: Tibia and fibula adnate. From the description now given, it will probably be conceded that Potamogale is more nearly allied to Solenodon than to any other known genus of Insectivora. The absence of zygomatic arches, small eyes, well-developed ears, and large tail are all so many points of direct affinity. On the other hand, the remarkably compressed, triangular teeth, the compressed form of the tail, the broad appressed muzzle, the presence of anal glands, the coalescence of tibia and fibula, and, above all, the absence of clavicles are points of marked divergence from the West-Indian genus. On the whole I am of opinion that the genus Potamogale ought to be assumed as the type of a distinct family of Insectivora, to which the name of Potamogalide may be given. The above paper had been already printed when I became acquainted with a descrip- tion of Potamogale velox, contained in a communication presented to the Zoological Society on the 25th of April, 1865, by Professor J. V. Barboza du Bocage, “On certain rare and little-known Mammifers from Western Africa, preserved in the Lisbon Museum,”* as well as with another and more extended memoir, on the same animal, read by Professor Barboza du Bocage at a meeting of the Lisbon Academy, on the 27th of April, 1865. The specimen from which the Lisbon Professor’s description had been drawn up was sufficiently well preserved to enable him to recognize the true insectivorous relations of the animal, and to give a detailed account of its external characters and osteology. He will not, however, accept the generic name of either Du Chaillu or Gray, but constructs * See Proc. Zool. Soc., 1865, p. 401. 16 POFESSOR ALLMAN ON THE CHARACTERS AND AFFINITIES OF POTAMOGALE. a new one of his own, and proposes to call the West African insectivore by the name of Bayonia velox. For the reasons, however, already stated, I must still adhere to the claims of ‘* Potamogale”’ over all other synonyms, EXPLANATION OF PLATES I. & II, Plate I. Potamogale velox, size of life. Plate II. Skeleton of Potamogale velox, of the natural size, TE ' 4.2% PHN # IW U4tL JIM Lc W West imp GH Ford. 3 LOX - V POTAMO GALE =< a, 7 oa - = ie II. On some Indian Cetacea collected by Water Exiot, ae By Professor Owen, F.B.S., F.Z.S., &e. Read June 26th, 1865. [Puates ITI—XTIV.} CONTRIBUTIONS to our knowledge of the singular and interesting order of Cetacean mammals (Cetacea vera, Cuv.) are so desirable, and acquisitions of evidences of exotic kinds are so few and far between, that I am induced to think the following may be deemed acceptable and worthy of publication by the Zoological Society. The materials chiefly consist of coloured drawings and skulls of species captured or cast ashore on the east coast of the Indian peninsula, in the vicinity of the harbour of Vizagapatam, in the northern cirears of the Madras Presidency. Special care was taken by Walter Elliot, Esq., of Wolfelee', when resident at that loca- lity, to have all such “stray waifs” from the whale-family brought directly to his cogni- zance ; and he availed himself of the skill of a native artist, for whose accuracy he vouches, to make drawings of the specimens while recent; and these, for the most part, were executed under Mr. Elliot’s own eyes. A selection from the drawings and some skulls of the Vizagapatam Cetacea have been confided to me by my friend for comparison and description ; and the results of this labour, as respects what seemed “ new to science,” I have now the pleasure to communicate. Family DELPHINID. Genus DepuiNus, Cuvier. DELPHINUS (subgenus STENO, Gray) GADAMU, Owen. The “ Gadamu” Dolphin. (PI. III. figs. 1 & 2.) This species is known to the Vizagapatam fishermen by the name of “ Gadamu.” It averages about 7 feet in length. The specimen figured is a female of 6 feet 10 inches in length. The body is fusiform, gaining its greatest diameter at the fore part of the dorsal fin, where the girth is 3 feet 9 inches. From this point the body decreases forward to the head, by straight converging lines laterally (fig. 2), and with a gentle convex curve superiorly (fig. 3), to the eyes and blow-hole; thence the sides of the head converge more acutely to the ? Now Sir Walter Elliot, K.C.8,I. VOL. VI.—PART I. D 18 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. base of the snout, while the forehead descends with a bold convex curve to the same part. The snout, which is divided from the forehead by a transverse groove, extending almost horizontally nearly to the angles of the mouth, equals in length the distance from its base to the eyes, which is five inches and a half. Its vertical diameter at the base rather exceeds the transverse diameter: it gradually decreases to an obtuse apex. The lower jaw projects a little beyond the upper: the “‘rictus oris” extends backward to very near the eye. This opens at the junction of the lower with the middle third of the vertical diameter of that part of the head. The “ blow-hole” is on the same transverse line with the eyes, symmetrically situated on the middle of the vertex, of a crescentic form, with the cresses bent forward (fig. 2, 4). The pectoral and dorsal fins are fal- cate, of nearly similar size. ‘The pectorals commence at the beginning of the second fourth part of the entire body: the extent of their base (7. ¢. from the attached fore part to the angle at which the concave hind border begins) is about 9 inches; their length, following the anterior marginal curve, is 1 foot 6 inches: they are attached low down. The dorsal fin commences 3 feet from the end of the snout (in a straight line): the extent of the attached base is 13 inches; that of the convex anterior border, following the curve, is 1 foot 4 inches. From the dorsal fin the trunk diminishes in size to the root of the tail-fin, more rapidly laterally than vertically; from the dorsal to the end of the caudal measures 24 inches. The antero-posterior extent of the middle of the tail-fin is 7 inches; the extreme breadth of the fin is 1 foot 10 inches; the circumference of the base or pedicle of the tail-fin is 10 inches. The vent is situated on the mid line below, in the interval between the vertical parallels of the dorsal and caudal fins, and nearer the dorsal, being 2 feet 6 inches from the hind border of the caudal fin: about 2 inches in advance of the yent is the vulva. The colour of the body is a dark plumbeous grey, almost black upon the fins, especially at their fore part, becoming very gradually lighter to the longitudinal parallel of the attachment of the pectorals, below which the body, from beneath the base of the snout and eye to below the base of the tail, is of a pinkish ashy-grey tint, with a few small irregular blotches of light plumbeous grey. The length of the snout, from the frontal groove, is 5 inches 6 lines; that of the “ rictus oris,” in a straight line lengthwise, is 11 lines; the eye is about equidistant from the end of the snout and the beginning of the pectoral fin. The greatest vertical diameter of the body is 1 foot 5 inches; the greatest transverse diameter is the same; the greatest girth is 3 feet 10 inches; the vertical diameter of the base of the snout is 3 inches, the transverse diameter 2 inches 6 lines. The number of teeth, as noted by Mr. Elliot in one specimen, was 27 —108 ; in a second specimen, 5,—5;= 96 ; in the skull transmitted, —2—=101. This Dolphin would probably belong to that section which Dr. Gray has cha- racterized, under the name of Steno, as having the symphysis of the lower jaw PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. ng “elongate, about + the length”?; but the definition of the term of comparison being omitted, whether it may be “length of the dental series,” “ of the mandibular ramus,” or “of the entire skull,” detracts from my means of testing this osteological character, whatever may be its value in regard to the variation in length of the “symphysis man- dibule”’ of the restricted Delphini of Cuvier’s system. In the skull, no. 423, of the “ Gadamu’” (Pl. IV.), the symphysis mandibule (figs. 3 & 4,5,5) is more than }th the length of the entire dental series, and about {th the length of the entire ramus. Assuming, howeyer, the section or subgenus of the present Dolphin to be Steno, it then belongs to that subsection which is characterized as having the “ ** Beak sepa- rated from the forehead by a cross groove”. In this section the present species differs from the Delphinus (Steno) malayanus in colour, in number of teeth, and perhaps also in size. The D. malayanus is “ greyish above and below;” the dental formula — 36144, From the Delphinus (Steno) 6—36 frontatus of the Indian Ocean, with teeth 3—5=86 or aaa 84, D. gadamu differs in the greater number of teeth. From Delphinus (Steno) compressus the present species differs in the minor compression of the head, the shorter and less attenuated snout. The D. (Steno) attenuatus, Gray, departs still further from D. gadamu in the length 40 —40 and slenderness of the snout and the more numerous teeth, the formula mu == = 160, In the skull of D. (Steno) gadamu (P1. IV.) the maxillo-premaxillary ae of the rostrum is broader and lower than in D. (Steno) frontatus, the premaxillaries rise above the max- illaries, at the middle of the rostrum, with a more abrupt transverse convexity, and the maxillaries slope therefrom outward and less steeply downward to the alveolar border. Behind the dental series the bony palate, there formed by the back part of the maxil- laries, by the palatines, and pterygoids, forms a longitudinal bar convex across and increasing in depth as it recedes; the sides of the bar are continued into channels of the same length, concave transversely, and impressing the sides of the posterior palatal surface of the maxillaries. This undulating disposition of the bony palate subsides opposite the penultimate or antepenultimate teeth, in advance of which the bony palate is nearly flat, with a strip, 2 inches long, of the vomer at the mid line, and in advance of this is slightly hollow transversely, or canaliculate. The sockets of the teeth are in contact, about 4 lines in diameter. In the skull transmitted, and here noticed and figured (Pl. IV.), I count 23—23 in the upper jaw, and 27—28 in the lower jaw. The teeth have a long and large rounded base and a short enamelled crown, slightly incurved, not very sharply pointed; about ten anterior alveoli are coextensive with the symphysis. * Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus and Terror: “Cetacea.’ 4to. 1844, p. 43. Not any of the figures of the skulls of Steno, Gray, illustrate the symphysial character in question. In a specimen of Steno frontatus in the British Museum the mandibular symphysis is about one-fourth of the entire length of the skull. ? Thid. D2 20 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. The specimen of the Gadamu Dolphin here figured was taken on the 20th March, 1853, at Waltair, the civil station at Vizagapatam; the posterior margin of the dorsal fin had been accidentally slit. De.pruinus (Steno?) LENTIGINOSUS, Owen. Freckled Dolphin. (Pl. V. figs. 2 & 3.) By the same general fusiform character of the body, diminishing to the ends from the greatest girth at the fore part of the dorsal fin, and by the small size of this fin and especially of the pectorals, I am induced to place this Dolphin in the same section with the preceding. From the Gadamu it differs, not only in colour, but in the size of the fins, the pectorals and dorsals being relatively smaller, the caudal fin larger. The body is narrower, being subcompressed; the vertical diameter at the deepest part (fig. 2) exceeds the transverse (fig. 3). The back is rounded in front of the dorsal fin, but is sharp, or keeled, behind it for about half thé distance to the caudal, where it again becomes convex until near the root of the tail-fin, which is compressed and sharp above. The forehead is higher and more convex than in D. fusiformis (Pl. V. fig. 1), but is continued by an alteration of curve more directly into the rostrum than it isin D. gadamu (Pl. III. fig. 1). The transverse groove, as indicated in the drawing (PI. V. fig. 6, ¢), is defined at the sides of the base of the beak, but above it is less deep or definite than in the two above-named species. The contour-line from the dorsal fin to the forehead is nearly straight, very slightly undulated, not convexly curved as in D. gadamu. The specimen figured (PI. V. figs. 2, 3) was a female, captured at Waltair, Sep- tember 18, 1854. She measured 7 feet 10 inches in length, and 4 feet in greatest circumference, being probably pregnant. The colour is pretty uniformly bluish cinereous, or slaty, freckled with irregular small spots or streaks of brown or plumbeous pigment, the streaks longitudinal and flecked with white; the under surface is a shade lighter than the rest of the body. The snout is 6 inches in length, 33 inches in depth at the base, and 3 inches there across; the skull shows better the pre- dominance of the vertical over the transverse diameter of the rostral production of the jaws. The “ictus oris,’ 1 foot in length, bends gently upward from the base of the snout to within 2 inches of the eye. This is situated just above the middle of the vertical line crossing that part of the head. From the end of the snout to the eye is 14} inches. The blow-hole, median in position and shaped as in the foregoing species, is a little in advance of the vertical parallel of the eyes; in the male specimen it was on the same parallel. From the end of the snout to the pectoral fin is 2 feet; the attachment of this fin is subpedunculate, the antero-posterior extent of the peduncle being only 3 inches, while the breadth of the fin, at the posterior basal angle, is 5 inches; the length of the anterior margin, following its very slight convex curve, is 12 inches. The dorsal fin is relatively lower than in D. fusiformis, much more so than PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. 21 in D. gadamu; the hind border slopes away gradually to an extensive base of attach- ment, which is continued as a ridge halfway between the dorsal and caudal fins: the length of the dorsal at its front margin is 1 foot 1 inch; from the end of the snout to the dorsal fin is 3 feet 4 inches; from the front border of the fin’s base to the mid fissure of the tail-fin is 4 feet 2 inches; the fin is rather more posterior in position than in D. fusiformis, and is more obtusely terminated than in that species or in D. gadamu, From the hind border of the caudal fin to the vent is 2 feet 5 inches: the vulva is 21 inches in advance of the vent. The upper part of the pedicle of the caudal fin is obtusely ridged; the middle of the posterior margin of the fin is notched, as in the two foregoing species; the antero-posterior breadth of the fin, near the notch, is 7 inches 6 lines; the transverse breadth of the entire fin is 1 foot 9 lines. A profile-view of the head and pectoral fin of a male D. lentiginosus, taken also at Waltair, which was of a rather darker bluish slate-colour than the female, shows the feeble indication of the fronto-rostral groove beyond the lateral indentations; the interruption of the convex curve of the forehead, before reaching the snout, is rather more marked. ‘The mouth is represented a little open, indicating the relative size ot 2—32 the teeth so exposed; they were = 129. As in the female specimen, the pectoral fin is not falciform, but has rather the shape of a scalene triangle, the two shorter sides straight. The skull of Delphinus (Steno) lentiginosus is rather narrower in proportion to its length than in D. gadamu; the occipital condyles are larger, the superoccipital surface is narrower, the temporal fosse more squared above; the premaxillaries do not rise to form a distinct convexity at the upper part of the rostrum, as in D. gadamu, but con- tinue upwards the roof-like slope, begun by the maxillaries, which gives a triangular transverse section to the middle and fore part of the rostrum. The breadth of the rostrum at the antorbital notches is the same in both species, viz. 4 inches; the length of the rostrum, from the notches, is 103 inches in D. gadamw, 11 inches in D. lentigi- nosus. But the chief distinction is in the number of the teeth: in the skull here noticed and figured there are, in the upper jaw, 33—33, in the lower jaw, 32—32 —130, and the tecth are smaller. The extent of the dental series of the upper jaw in D. lentiginosus is 9 inches 9 lines, but is not more than 8 inches 6 lines in D. gadamu. The D. lentiginosus is known to the Waltair and Vizagapatam fishermen by the Telugu name of “ Bolla Gadimi.” DELPHINUS (STENO?) MACULIVENTER. Spot-bellied Dolphin. (PI. VI. figs. 1 & 2.) In the degree of convexity of the forehead the present species resembles the D. Susiformis (Pl. V. fig. 1); but the head is relatively larger, and the body is deeper in ~ proportion to its length, than in either D. Susiformis or D. gadamu. 22 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. In colour it presents a well-marked distinctive character from all the Vizagapatam species; it is of a deep, shining, plumbeous black on the upper part, becoming paler near the belly, which, from the under part of the jaw to the perineum, is ashy grey, with irregular spots or blotches, whence the specific name maculiventer. The specimen from which figs. 1 and 2 were taken was a female, 6 feet 11 inches in length, found at Waltair, 26th April, 1854. It is called by the fishermen ‘“‘ Suvva.” The fronto-rostral groove is well marked, but short; the “ rictus oris” slightly rises as it extends back, to about 3 inches below the fore part of the eye; the under jaw extends be- yond the upper, and chiefly forms the obtuse end of the rostrum; this is 5 inches in length, and higher at its base than it is broad. The blow-hole resembles in position and shape that of the previously described species. Both pectoral and dorsal are falcate, but small ; the length of the front border of the pectoral, following the curve, is 1 foot 3 inches; from the end of the snout to the setting-on of this fin measures 1 foot 9 inches. ‘The greatest circumference of the body is just in advance of the dorsal fin; the height of this fin is 8 inches, the extent of its basal attachment 18 inches; to the fore part of the dorsal from the end of the snout, in a straight line, is 3 feet 4 inches; from the back part of the dorsal to the hind border of the base of the caudal fin is 3 feet. The body is more compressed than in D. lentiginosus (Pl. V. fig. 3). The girth of the pedicle of the caudal fin is 1 foot 2 inches; the fore-and-aft diameter of the fin is 7 inches, the extreme breadth is 1 foot 8 inches; from the median notch of the caudal to the vent is 2 feet 3 inches; extent of perineum (or between the vent and vulva) 3 inches. The dentition of this species is a —114, It appears not to be rare. Specimens were taken in March 1853 and April 1854, all showing the character of colour given in the female figured in Pl. VI. figs. 1 & 2. DELPHINUS (LAGENORHYNCHUS) FUSIFORMIS, Owen. Spindle-shaped Dolphin. (Plate V. fig. 1.) The present species is more slender in proportion to its length, has a less elevated and less convex forehead, a proportionally thicker, broader, and more obtusely terminated snout, a deeper mandible or under jaw, especially posteriorly, and smaller dorsal and pectoral fins, especially the latter, than in the foregoing species of Delphinus. It appears, likewise, to beasmaller species. The specimen figured, which was the largest taken (at Waltair, on the 25rd August, 1853), was a female, 6 feet in length: the dentition ae 86. The greatest girth of the body is at the fore part of the dorsal fin; from this the body tapers to both ends, and, through the lower forehead and thicker snout, more regularly than in D. gadamu, and presenting a truer spindle-shape of the whole animal, whence the specific name. The “rictus oris” bends upward as it recedes, and does not approach so near the eye as in D). gadamu. Both the angle of the mouth and the eye are more elevated in position; the blow-hole is medial, symmetrical, on the same vertical parallel PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. 23 with the eyes; crescentic, with the angles bent forward. The length of the snout is 6 inches, of the “ rictus oris” 10 inches; from the end of the snout to the eye 1 foot; from the same to the setting-on of the pectoral fin 1 foot 7 inches; from the same to the setting-on of the dorsal fin 2 feet 7 inches; from the hind part of the base of the dorsal fin to the hind border of the caudal fin 2 feet 8 inches. The pectoral fin measures 5 inches across the broadest part of its base, and is 1 foot in length, following the curve of the front border, which curve is much less than in the Gadamu. The dorsal fin is lower in proportion to the length of its base; its anterior border also shows a minor degree of convexity; the extent, following the curve, is 10 inches; the line of attach- ment measures 1] inches. The fore-and-aft extent of the mid part of the caudal fin is 5 inches; the extreme breadth of the fin is 1 foot 4 inches. The vent is 1 foot 9 inches in advance of the mid notch of the caudal fin; the vulva is 5 inches in advance of the vent, the interspace being relatively greater than in the Gadamu. The colour of the “ Spindle-shaped Dolphin” is less darkly plumbeous than in the Gadamu, and becomes more gradually lighter towards the belly; the dorsal fin, the fore part of the pectoral and caudal fins, and the snout have the darkest pigment; the light ashy-grey belly shows no spots. The difference from any of the three preceding species is still more marked in the skull (Pl. VIL.), which presents the general characters of that section of De/phinide to which the term “Lagenorhynchus” has been attached. It resembles in size and general characters the skull of Lagenorhynchus electra, Gray ; but the occipital condyles are more approximate below the foramen magnum, the presphenoid is narrower, the longitudinal channel formed by it and the pterygoid is deeper and narrower: the rostrum is of equal length in the two species, viz. 9 inches 8 lines from the antorbital notches (4); but the breadth there is 54 inches in Lagenorhynchus electra and 5 inches in Lagenorhynchus fusiformis. In this species a narrow slip of the vomer (fig. 4, 13), about an inch in length, appears on the bony palate, 3 inches from the anterior end. In Lagenorhynchus (P1. VII.) the skull is broader in proportion to its length, and the mandibular symphysis shorter, than in Steno (Pl. IV.); the transverse undulation of the hind part of the palate is less marked, the middle conyex tract being broader and lower, and the lateral channels wider and shallower. DELPHINUS POMEEGRA, Owen. The Pomeegra Dolphin. (PI. VI. fig. 3.) This species belongs to the same section of Delphinus as the Black Dolphin of the Cape and Ceylon (Delphinus longirostris, Gray1) and the Delphinus forsteri of the Pacific. 1 Schlegel. Mr. Blyth has inserted a note on this species in the ‘ Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,’ 1848, pp. 249, 250. 2 Forster, “ Descriptio Animalium,” drawing no. 24 (copied by Dr. Gray, in the ‘ Zoology of the Erebus and Terror,’ “ Cetacea,” 4to. 1845, plate 24). 24 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. It was taken off the coast of Madras, and is known to the fishermen there as the “ Po- meegra.” It is of a very deep plumbeous shining colour, almost black, with a rather lighter shade at the under part of the belly. Mr. Elliot, who was indebted to Mr. Blyth for the specimen, notes it as “a small Cetaceous species;” but the length is not given. The proportions of the snout, of the rictus oris, of the fins, and the form of the forehead (which rises from the base of the snout with a low convexity) are characters in which the D. pomeegra resembles the D. longirostris, Gray. It chiefly differs in the larger propor- tional size and smaller number of the teeth, viz. a Ts. The blow-hole is crescentic, and on the same vertical parallel as the eye. The body enlarges more gradually to the origin of the dorsal fin than in D. forsteri, the greatest circumference being at the fore part of that fin. It is more slender in proportion to its length than any of the above-described fusiform Dolphins belonging to the subsection Steno, Gray. ‘The symphysis mandibule (Pl. VIII. fig. 4) is less than jth the entire length of the ramus. The hinder half of the palate (ib. fig. 2), is widely and deeply channelled on each side. This is, however, but an extension of the modification already pointed out in the hind part of the palate of D. ga- damu (Pl. IV.), and it is subject to varieties in species which, from the brevity of the mandibular symphysis, the great number and small size of the teeth, and the transversely convex rising of the premaxillaries along a considerable part of the rostrum, would be retained among the Delphini as restricted by Dr. Gray. In Delphinus euphrosyne, e. g. (Pl. VIIL fig. 5: no. 15, p. 251, ‘Catalogue of Cetacea in the Br. Mus.’), the hinder middle tract of the bony palate is not longer, deeper, nor more convex transversely than in Steno and Lagenorhynchus, and the lateral channels show the same proportions as in the latter subgenus. The prominent mid tract of the palate is too broad and obtusely convex to be regarded as a “ridge,” in any species of Delphinus proper that has come under my observation. Sp. dub. DELPHINAPTERUS MOLAGAN, Owen. Mr. Elliot writes, “I have (or rather ‘ had,’ for I cannot find it) a drawing of a small Cetacean, copied from one made in the Chief Engineer’s Office at Madras for Col. Monteith, which was taken from an individual, 32 inches long, of a uniform black colour, with a rounded obtuse head, small mouth, and no dorsal. The Tamil fishermen called it ‘ Molagan.’”’ Genus Puocamna, Cuvier. Puocana (Orca, Gray, Reinhardt) BREVIROSTRIS. Owen. Short-snouted Porpoise (skull). (Pl. IX. figs. 1, 2, 3.) Of this Cetacean I possess only the cranium; but, as it presents the characters of maturity, it is too small for the species represented by the drawings already described, PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CEIACEA. 20 if even the proportions of the rostral part of the skull (Pl. IX. fig. 1, 21’ 22) did not show that it belongs to a different section of Delphinide’. The present part of a Cetacean skeleton, as the skulls of those species, figured in Pls. IV. VII. VIII. demonstrate, affords better grounds for comparison and specific determination than do coloured drawings of the entire animal, however accurate,—the number of skulls of ascertained species in home-museums, or otherwise accessible, being much greater than entire and stuffed spe- cimens of the Cetacea, which rarely give the natural contour of head or body. The animal from which this skull was taken was thrown ashore in the harbour of Vizagapatam in too decayed a state to be figured, and was noted as a “small kind of Porpoise” by Mr. Elliot, who fortunately secured the present evidence of the species, which is now preserved in the British Museum. The following are the dimensions of the skull :— inches, lines. Eee Petia AARC LN (Nit oa (FF siete Ther TK al Breadth, greatest, across zygomata . . . . Sigs soar re From the back of occipital condyle to aatarbital process of malar es opie G From the antorbital process of malar to anterior end of premaxillary 4 8 From the back part of nostrils to do. do. ion These dimensions show that in the shortness of the “facial” as compared with the “ cranial ” part of the skull the species agrees with the section of Delphinide, including the Grampuses and Porpoises, for which Cuvier proposed the subgeneric name Phocena*, and which, in his ‘Ossemens Fossiles,’ tome v. part i. (1823), he distinguished as “§ 2. Les Dauphins a téte obtuse” (p. 280), from “ § 1. Les Dauphins a bec” (p. 275) (Delphinus, proper)’. The number of Delphinide with obtuse heads or short jaws, which have since been observed, have manifested so many minor modifications in the relative size, shape, and number of the teeth, in the relative size and length of the jaws, in the formation of the bony palate, in the extent of anchylosis, and the forms of processes, &c., of the cervical ver- tebre, that numerous subgenera have been founded on these characters. Nevertheless, as each additional kind of blunt-headed Dolphin tends to exemplify the gradational tendency of these modifications, the benefit to zoology of the additional guasi-generic names is doubtful; and I shall refer the present skull, which appears to me to belong to an undescribed species, to the Phocena brevirostris, as a member of the section of Cuvier’s Phocene, characterized by conical teeth, in which its nearest alliance appears to be with the Phocena gloticeps, Cuv." 1 The following is Mr. Elliot’s note respecting this specimen :—“ August 1852. Got the skull of a porpoise which one of the fishermen found dead at the mouth of the Vizagapatam river. He called it ‘Ganumu,’ and described it as having a rounded head, without beak, colour black or dark above, white below; perhaps a Phocena or Globicephalus.” 2 Régne Anim. tome i. p. 290 (1829). 3 Thid. p. 287. 4 Thid. p. 290; Annales du Muséum, tome xix.; Ossem. Foss. tome v. part i. p. 290, tab, 21. pls. 1, 2, 3, figs: 11, 12,13. VOL. VI. PART I. E 26 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. The elements of the occipital have coalesced. The basioccipital (Pl. IX. fig. 3,1) forms the lower fifth of the foramen magnum, intervening for an extent, measured in a straight line, of 103 lines between the lower ends of the occipital condyles (ib. 2'): it is here thick and concave transversely: it becomes thinner vertically and expanded later- ally as it advances to join the basisphenoid (ib. 5), with which it has coalesced: a slight median longitudinal obtuse rising divides two large shallow concavities, from the sides of which the aliform expansions of the basisphenoid extend, which bend slightly down- ward to form the lower and inner or mesial wall of the otocrane (ib. or). The occipital condyles (figs. 1 & 3, 2,2’) are narrow, vertically elongate, oval convexities, wider at their lower half, with the mesial margin gently convex, the lateral or outer margin sinuous, through a slight concavity marking off the upper third of the condyle: the length of the condyle in a straight line is 2 1’, the greatest breadth 1” 11”: the upper ends of the condyles are 1” 3’ apart; they are low and sessile. The foramen magnum is vertically oval, widest above, and notched at the middle of the upper border; its length, to the end of the last notch, is 2”, its breadth 1” 3’; the breadth across the broadest parts of both condyles is 2 9’, The paroccipital (figs. 1 & 3,4) an exogenous growth of the exoccipital, forms the back part of the otocrane, towards which it is sinuous or slightly concave, and terminates below in a thick rough border, 4" across the thickest part (figs. 3,4”); this border is divided by a notch from the otocranial plate (5') of the basisphenoid, and just within the bottom of that notch’ opens the canal for the nervus vagus. The superoccipital (figs. 1,2, 3) rises and ex- Pands, as in other Delphinid@, into a broad and lofty convex plate reaching the vertex, and there articulating with the parietals (7) and interparietal (7*); a low median ridge (fig. 2, 3) divides vertically the upper half of the superoccipital. On the inner surface, 1” 6’” above the foramen magnum, a vertical triangular plate of bone descends into the falx; it is thickest behind, where its base is grooved transversely by the lateral sinus. The alisphenoids (Pl. IX. figs. 1, 5,6) coalesce with the fore part of the lateral borders of the basisphenoid, in advance of the otocrane (fig. 3, 07), of which it forms the anterior wall or boundary: the base of the alisphenoid is notched posteriorly for the third, and anteriorly for the second, division of the trigeminal; it expands as it passes outward, slightly rising (fig. 1, 6) to join the parietal (7), and frontal (11), and to overlap the process of the squamosal (fig. 3, 27’), continued, mesiad, from the glenoid cavity (g). The suture between the interparietal (fig. 2, 7* ) and superoccipital (3) is obliterated, and that with the parietals is partially so. The suture between the parietal and superoccipital remains at its lower half (fig. 1, 7), showing that a narrow strip of the parietal appears on the external surface of the cranium, extending backward, between the squamosal (27) and superoccipital (3) to the exoccipital (2), and slightly expanding at its junction therewith. The presphenoid (ib. fig. 3,9) is distinct from the basisphenoid (5), and extends in the form of a compressed rostrum forward, contracting, to be enclosed by the pos- terior sheath-shaped part of the vomer (13). The orbitosphenoids (ibid. 10) extend PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. 27 outward, overlapping the pterygoids (24), contract where they form the fore part of the foramen lacerum anterius and the optic foramina, beyond which they expand to support the orbital plate (fig. 3, 11’ ) of the frontal.’ ‘The frontals (Pl. IX. figs. 1 & 2, 1, 11"), in great part overlapped, as in other Cetacea, by the maxillaries ( 21 ), show at their narrow exposed strip, extending transversely across the summit of the cranium, the persistant frontal suture, half an inch in length; from this suture the strip curves outward and backward, expanding beyond the interparietal ( 7* ), and then downward and forward, contracting and again expanding, to form the post- orbital process (figs. 1, 2, 12): this is triangular and three-sided, one facet being a continuation of the exposed strip, a second contributing to the temporal fossa, and a third to the orbit (or). In the temporal fossa, the frontal (fig. 1, 11) articulates with the parietal (7) and alisphenoid (6); in the orbit (ib. or), with the orbito-sphenoid (fig. 3,10) and malar (26); then, arching forward from the postorbital process, the frontal forms the superorbital ridge (fig. 1,11), and articulates anteriorly by a kind of gomphosis with the malar ( 26’); it is overlapped here, as on the cranium, by the max- illary (21"). The medial parts of the frontals (fig. 2,11) are united posteriorly with the interparietal (7*), anteriorly with the nasals (15 ). The vomer (ib. fig. 3, 13) extends forward to within an inch and a half of the end of the premaxillaries, and behind these it intervenes upon the bony palate between the maxillaries, along a strip of two inches extent and three lines across the broadest part. This palatal part of the vomer (13) is the lower convexity of the canal formed by the spout-shaped bone; the hollow of the canal is exposed at the upper interspace of the premaxillaries. Here, also, is seen, two inches behind the fore end of the yomer, the rough thick anterior border of the coalesced prefrontals (fig. 2, 14), which contracts as it passes into their upper border, forming the septum of the nostrils, expanding below and behind to form the back wall of the nasal passages(14’). At this part a trace of the suture between these foremost neurapophyses of the skull remains. ‘Their bifid spine —the small transversely extended subquadrate nasals (15 )—intervenes between the frontals (11) and prefrontals (14' ). The palatine bones appear on the palate as narrow strips (fig. 3, 20) wedged between the maxillaries, (21) and pterygoids (24), and united together beneath the vomer by a longitudinal suture of 3’” extent: then, passing out- ward and forward, after a brief contraction they suddenly expand and bend upward to line or form the mesial wall of the orbit, and again contract to articulate with the frontal at the superorbital fossa; the mesial borders of the palatines articulate with the vomer and prefrontals; and between the pterygoids and the vomer the palatines form the fore part of the lower half of the nasal passages. The orbital plate of the palatine sends off an outer thin lamina, which terminates by a free margin at the back of the orbit. The palatine plates of the maxillaries (21) unite together for about an inch in front of the palatines, then slightly diverge to give place to the vomer (33), which, however, does not sink to their level; in advance of the vomer the plates slightly diverge to their E2 28 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. anterior ends, giving place to the premaxillaries ( 22’), which form the apex of the muzzle: the rest of the disposition of the maxillaries accords with Cuvier’s account in Phocena globiceps; the superorbital plate (fig. 1, 21*) is divided by a notch from the rostral part (21) of the maxillary, and forms a tuberosity articulated with the under- lying malar ( 26’). The premaxillaries (22) accord equally with those in P. globiceps, save in their shorter proportions concomitantly with the shorter muzzle. They are perforated near the outer margin, between the posterior and middle third, the canal leading forward and inward. The three perforations (fig. 2, a, b, ¢) in the maxillary external to the nasal portions of the premaxillary ( 22’), are the upper outlets of canals which converge to open into an oblong fossa (fig. 3, 26) beneath the fore part of the roof of the orbit. The pterygoid (fig. 3, 24, 24’ ) is a large sinuous plate folded upon itself from within, upward, outward, and backward; the thick fore part (24) articulates with the palatine, whence it continues the bony roof of the mouth backward for the extent of 1” 8'", with a convex surface, divided from its fellow by a vacancy of 8" breadth, exposing the presphenoid and vomer; the inner plate of the pterygoid forms the outer wall of the lower part of the nasal passage, and continues that passage obliquely backward, as an open canal (24), beneath the base of the alisphenoid (6), as far as the otocranial plate of the basisphenoid (5’). This posterior production of the pterygoid is three-sided ; the inner or narial one is concave ; the outer one is also concave, forming a channel leading upward and forward to the orbit; the upper facet is sutural, and articulated with the basi-, pre-, ali-, and orbito-sphenoids. ‘he anterior external lamina of the ptery- goid bends outward and upward to articulate with the corresponding free lamina of the palatine, bounding the narrow and deep sinuous fissure between the outer and inner portions of both bones. The malar, as in other Delphinide, consists of the antorbital (Pl. IX. fig. 1, 26° ) and styliform (26) portions. The former ( 26’ ) is a narrow triangle, with the base thick, convex, - turned forward, underpropping the fore part of the superorbital plate of the maxillary (21*), and articulating with the same part of the frontal; the apex extends backward, and is wedged into the roof of the orbit between the frontal and maxillary. The styliform portion (26) is given off by a process extending inward (mesiad), at right angles to the antorbital portion (fig. 3), and a few lines behind its fore part; it sud- denly contracts and extends backward, with a slight bend, to the squamosal, articu- lating by a concave, oblique, terminal facet to a tubercle at the fore and under part of the zygomatic process of the squamosal (fig. 1, 27). The length of this part of the malar is 3"; its thickness throughout the greater extent is 13!" by 1’; its squamosal articulation is 4’” across. The form of the orbit (ib. or) so defined below is longitu- dinally oblong, more arched above than below, 2” 2'” in fore-and-aft diameter, 1 2'” in greatest vertical diameter; the chamber communicates, of course, largely with the temporal fossa, and continues into the deep, ascending orbital fossa and the small autorbital fossa (d), external to which is the rough malomaxillary fossa (e). PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. 29 The squamosal consists chiefly of its articular or zygomatic part (PI. IX. figs. 1 & 3, 27), which is deep in proportion to its length, truncate, and three-sided; the outer side is slightly convex and rather rough, 1” 5'” in depth posteriorly; the inner side is divided between the articular cavity (fig. 3, g), rough for syndesmosis with the mandible, and the smoother surface internal to it, which extends mesiad in a triangular depressed form (27') beneath the back part of the alisphenoid (¢), but without joining it: the upper surface, of an inequilateral shape, contributes a lower wall to the temporal fossa. The squamous portion (fig. 1), continued upward from this facet, is triangular, with a rounded apex, about an inch in length, and rather more in height; it is applied against the ali- sphenoid (6) and parietal (7). The rough posterior tract articulating with the parietal (7) and exoccipital (2), and contributing to the outer wall of the otocrane (fig. 3, 07), I consider to be the ‘‘ mastoid” confluent with the squamosal, together forming the bone which should be termed ‘“‘ squamo-mastoid.” The mastoid part terminates below in a rough, flattened, triangular surface (fig. 3, 8), 5’ 7’” in diameter, which is divided from the zygomatic or articular process of the squamosal (g) by a deep fissure. On the inner side of the base or back part of the mastoid, in the line of its suture with the parietal, is the (stylomastoid?) fossa. The squamosal forms no part of the inner or proper wall of the cranial cavity. The glenoid or mandibul-articular surface (g) is longitu- dinally oblong, 1” 5’” by 8” in diameter, moderately concave, least so transversely, and looking inward, downward, and with a slight inclination forward. The mandible offers no notable peculiarity, save that which relates to shortness in proportion to the entire skull, concurrently with the same specific character of the upper jaw. The depth of the ramus at the coronoid process is relatively as great as in the longer- jawed species, and consequently bears a greater ratio to the length of the entire ramus: this in the present skull is 7”, the greatest vertical extent of the ramus being 2" 6'"; the shallowest part of the ramus is where it supports the teeth; it deepens a little at the short symphysis. There are fourteen alveoli approximated in a common groove in each mandible, extending along 3” 3’” from the symphysis. The correspond- ing groove of the upper jaw (fig. 3) shows seventeen alveoli, along an extent of 36”. The deeper part of the alveolus is distinct in the anterior teeth ; but, as they recede, the sockets are indicated by depressions merely in the common groove. The teeth are slender ones: the anterior ones in the upper jaw average a length of 8’, two-thirds of the regular cement-covered, thickened, and solid base being implanted, the exposed third forming a smooth, partially enamelled, pointed crown, with a circular transverse section and in most a slight incurvation; the length of crown is from 3’” to 4”, the diameter of its base 1’, that of the inserted root 2’”. As in other Delphinidw, the bony palate is entire, save at the slight median divarica- tion of the maxillaries and premaxillaries, and the major part of this median fissure is closed by the vomer. A pair of small (neuro-vascular) foramina is situated near the maxillo-palatine suture, and one or two others obliquely groove and pierce the palatine plate of the maxillary. 50 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA, The optic foramen communicates or is blended with a larger vacuity or fissure between the orbitosphenoid, frontal and pterygoid, which might be termed the spheno- frontal fissure. The foramen rotundum, in like manner, is blended with a larger vacuity between the ali- and orbito-sphenoids, answering to the “fissura lacera anterior” of anthropotomy, and which may be called the “ intersphenal fissure ”?. The removal of the loosely attached petrotympanic exposes the wide otocranial vacuity (Pl. IX. fig. 3, or) in the basal walls of the cranium, which is a characteristic feature of the Delphinoid as compared with the Physeteroid skull (Pl. XIII. fig. 2), where the otocranial is walled off from the cranial cavity. The otocrane, in both, is bounded by the paroccipital, basisphenoid, alisphenoid, and squamo-mastoid: in the present species of Phocena it presents a subquadrate form, 1” 4’” in diameter, with the angles rounded off, notched anteriorly by the third division of the fifth, whereby the “foramen ovale” blends with this great vacuity. The entocarotid foramen pierces the outer and fore part of the base of the otocranial plate of the basisphenoid, close to, perhaps at, the line of confluence of the alisphenoid. There are neither olfactory nor lacrymal foramina. ‘The absence of the rhinal capsules simplifies the condition of the prefrontals, and facilitates the comprehension of both the special and general homologies of these interesting bones. A pair of minute foramina lead from the cranial cavity to the narial ones piercing the prefontals; but they do not give passage to olfactory nerves in the Delphinide. The departure from symmetry in the present Delphinoid skull is slight: it is seen in the greater backward extension of the nasal plate of the right premaxillary (fig. 2,22"), in the larger size of the prenarial plate of the right maxillary, and in a feeble inclination of the upper margin of the septum narium to the left. Family PHYSETERID (Cachalots or Sperm-Whales). Genus Evpuyseres, Macleay. PuyseTEeR (EUPHYSETES) SIMUS, Owen. The Snub-nosed Cachalot. (Plates X.—XIV.) The Cetacean which I haye next to describe is represented by drawings of the adult male (side view, Pl. XI. to scale) and female (side view, Pl. X. fig. 1; upper view, fig. 2 ; to scale). It is noted as “a kind of Porpoise” in Mr. Elliot’s MS., and is known to the Telugu fishermen of the coast by the name of ‘ Wonga.” The male, measuring 6 feet 8 inches in length, was taken at Waltair, February 28, 1855. The female was taken on the Ist of March, 1853, at the same part of the coast; she measured 6 feet in length. * It is noticed as “le trou sphéno-orbitaire,” by Cuvier, ‘ Oss. Foss.’ tom. cit. p. 294. PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. 31 The resemblance to the Porpoise was suggested by the shortness of the snout; but this is more obtuse, and is not marked off from the rest of the head by any sudden narrowing. More important differential characters suggest the affinity of the “ Wonga” to a family of toothed Whales, distinct from the Delphinide. The first and most important of these is the inferior position of the mouth, beyond the small opening of which the blunt rostrum extends forward from 4 to 6 inches. The blow-hole (Pl. X. fig. 2) is single, but is not medial in position or symmetrical in shape; it is in advance of the eye, opens to the left of the mesial plane, is propor- tionally larger than in the Porpoise, and is crescentic, but curves obliquely from the mid line outward and backward, with the convexity turned forward and to the left, and the angles or “cresses” directed backward and to the right. The anterior angle is 5 inches from the end of the snout. The eye is small; the palpebral orifice is be- tween 7 and 8 inches from the end of the snout, and opens in the upper half of the head, seen in profile, near the boundary dividing it from the lower half. From the yertical line bisecting the eye to the end of the muzzle the head forms a cone with a blunt apex, less obtuse when viewed from above (fig. 1) than from the side (fig. 2), this is formed by a ” where the lower slope is interrupted by the small “rictus oris: kind of semicircular excavation of the under part of the snout, into which the short dentigerous part of the lower jaw fits, like a box in its lid. The length of the “ rictus” in a side view, straight line, is 24 inches in the male, 2 inches in the female. From the the parallel of the eye, the head, as it recedes, enlarges less rapidly; and the trunk continues gradually to expand to about midway between the end of the snout and the base of the tail. The widest part of the trunk is a little more forward in the male than in the female. According to the figures, the pectoral fin becomes free 1 foot 1 inch behind the snout in the male, and 1 foot 4 inches in the female; but there may be some inaccuracy here. The length of the fin in both is 1 foot; its extreme breadth is 4} inches in the male, 4 inches in the female: its line of attachment is in the lower third of the trunk, as seen in profile. The dorsal fin is well developed, subfalcate in shape; its anterior border is halfway between the snout and the base of the tail. The length of the base of the fin is 10 inches in the male, 9 inches in the female: the height of the fin, vertically at its back part, where the apex curves back a little beyond the basal attach- ment, is 7 inches in both. The anterior border of the fin is slightly convex ; its length, in a straight line, is 1 foot. The body, as has been said, gradually expands to near the origin of the dorsal fin, and thence contracts to the setting-on of the caudal fin: here the tail, or tail-end of the trunk, measures 34 to 4 inches in vertical and nearly 2 inches in transverse diameter. The expansion of the trunk is pretty equal in every direction towards the dorsal fin, and the upper surface gives the appearance of the fore part being subdepressed: the duninu- tion beyond the dorsal is more rapid from side to side than from above downward. The greatest vertical diameter of the trunk is, in the male, 1 foot 63 inches, in the 32 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. female 1 foot 4} inches: the greatest transverse diameter of the trunk in the female is 1 foot 2 inches. The caudal fin, the shape of which is given in fig. 2, Pl. X., measures, in the female, 1 foot 7 inches in extreme breadth, and 7 inches across the base of each lateral lobe. Between the dorsal and caudal fins, and nearer the latter, the mid line of tegument is raised into a longish, very low and obtuse ridge. The vent opens 1 foot 10 inches in advance of the posterior cleft of the tail-fin in the male, and 1 foot 7 inches from the same part in the female. It is 10 inches behind the vertical line dropped from the back border of the dorsal fin, in the male, and 8 inches behind the same part in the female. The vulva is three inches in advance of the vent; the prepuce of the male is 9 inches in advance. The note, as to colour, accompanying the drawings is—‘ Above shining black, smooth ; beneath paler, pinkish, but in one discoloured with blood.” The dentition is = 20. (RISA, fig. 1 ess): The Physeteride (Cachalots or Sperm-Whales) are characterized by having the open- ing of the mouth inferior in position, not terminal. The largest known species (Physeter macrocephalus, Linn.) has a reduced or boss-like representative of the dorsal tegu- mentary fin, and a dorsal longitudinal ridge has been attributed to it near the base of the tail. The soft parts of the head, which project in advance of the jaws or opening of the mouth, form a large obtuse truncate mass. The external blow-hole is reduced by its operculum or flap toa single sigmoid fissure on the left side of the upper and fore part of the head, 7. ¢. at or near to the summit of the truncate end of the snout. The functional teeth are limited to the lower jaw, and chiefly to the long symphysial part ; those of the upper jaw, when present, are minute and concealed in the thick gum, in fossee which receive the summits of the larger lower teeth when the mouth is closed. The maxillary bones are so developed as to bound a large concavity, or chamber, for the “ spermaceti,’ at the upper part of the skull in advance of the short brain-case (PI. XIV. fig. 2, 21’). The question put by Cuvier', whether any large Sperm-Whale may exist, characterized as above, but with a high dorsal fin, with the blow-hole near the forehead on the middle of the head, and with the mandibular rami not united at a long dentigerous symphysis, still waits a reply from a direct and good observer of such problematic Cachalot. The Sperm-Whale towed ashore in the harbour of Port Jackson, New South Wales, December 1849, and referred by Macleay to the species “ Catodon australis”, had the blow-hole situated at the upper termination of the snout, as in the true Sperm- Whale® ; and the dentigerous symphysis of the mandible was more than half the entire * Ossemens Fossiles, 4to. vol. v. pt. i. p. 340. * «History and Description of the Skeleton of a new Sperm-Whale, lately set up in the Australian Museum,’ by Wm. 8. Wall, Curator. 8yo. Sydney, 1851. Shap rile PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA., By) length of the ramus (48 inches to 92 inches)'. The blubber-portion of the carcase having been removed previously to the articulator’s arrival on the spot?, no observa on the condition of the dorsal fin or hump was made. Cuvier characterizes the “Cachalot macrocéphale” (Catodon macrocephalus, Axt., Physeter macrocephalus, Linn.) as having the back provided with a slightly raised prominence, which some have called “ fin,” others “ longitudinal ridge”, others “ hump” or “tubercle” (loc. cit. p. 338): “Il a une dorsale trés-peu saillante vers I arriére du dos, quelquefois réduite 4 une protubérance, ou 4 deux ou trois” (ib. p. 339). In the *Regne Animal, Cuvier says, “Il n'a qu'une éminence calleuse au lieu de nageoire dorsale” (tom. i. p. 294, ed. 1829). In the judicious criticism on the alleged or nominal species of Sperm-Whales, in the ‘Ossemens Fossiles, Cuvier asks, “ Existe-t-il en outre des Cachalots 4 haute dorsale? en existe-t-il dont lévent soit percé pres du front sur le milieu de la téte? en existe-t-il ou les branches de la machoire inférieure ne soient pas réunies sur la plus grande partie de leur longueur en une symphyse cylindrique? Voila ce qui reste a chercher, ce qui reste a prouver autrement que par des figures tracées par des matelots. Ce nest quapres que des hommes éclairés auront observé ces étres avec soin, et en auront déposé les parties osseuses dans des collections ott elles puissent étre vérifiées par des naturalistes, qu'il sera possible a la critique de les admettre dans le catalogue des animaux” (tom. cit. p. 340). As regards large Cachalots these questions, as I have remarked, still wait their solu- tion. In the small Cetacean called ‘‘ Wonga,” of the seas washing the eastern coast of the Indian peninsula, we have, however, a satisfactory reply to them. In it we possess a member of the Physeterida—a Cachalot in fact—though small, in which the dorsal is lofty, with the usual shape of such well-developed fin in Cetacea, in which the blow-hole is not terminal but near the forehead, and in which, as will pre- sently be shown, the mandibular rami are united by a symphysis of less than half the length of the “rami.” The inferior mouth, unsymmetrical blow-hole, and the second tegumentary production in form of the dorsal ridge, shown in the careful drawings by the native artist, significantly indicated the family affinities of the ‘“‘ Wonga:” the enlightened attention and care bestowed by Mr. Elliot on this seldom-studied branch of zoology has enabled me to place this conclusion on unequivocal grounds, through his transmission, with the drawings, of the skuil of one of the individuals figured, To the study and comparison of this precious evidence I have devoted full attention : it is figured, half the natural size, in Plates XII., XIII., & XIV. fig. 1. Its peculiarity of form is extreme: perhaps no other Cetacean skull has yet been observed in which the cranial so greatly preponderates over the rostral part. In the degree in which this pro- portion prevails in the skull first made known by De Blainville as of the Cachalot which he called Physeter breviceps*, and in that subsequently described by Macleay* under 1 Op. cit. p. 9. ? Op. cit. p. 4. 2 Annales Frangaises et Etrangéres d’Anatomie et de Physiologie, tom. ii. (Svo, 1838) p. 335: “Sur les Cachalots.” + Op. cit. VOL. VI.—PART I, F 54 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. the name Euphysetes grayi, may be discerned at a glance the more immediate affinities of the present species, which I propose to call Physeter (Euphysetes) sinus, in reference to its peculiarly short obtuse muzzle. Description of the Skull. (Pls. XIL, XIIL, & XIV. fig. 1.) Short as is the upper jaw in proportion to the skull in Phocena brevirostris (Pl. IX.), it is shorter in the subgenus or section of Physeteridw represented by the Physeter breviceps, De Bl. (Pl. XIV. fig. 3), and shortest of all in the present species (ib. fig. 1). In the following Table of admeasurements are given those of the Physeter (Euphysetes) grayi, Macleay (the larger species which was stranded on the Maroobrah beach, near Sydney, New South Wales, and the skeleton of which is now in the Australian Museum of that city), with the few admeasurements appended by De Blainville to his notice of Physeter breviceps, from the Cape of Good Hope}. P. simus. P. grayi. P. breviceps. inches. lines. | inches. lines. | inches. lines. Length from the back of occipital condyles to end of snout....| 10 5 16 6 15 5 | Breadth across postorbital processes ...............2ee000- 9 5 14 0 | Breadth across the beginning of malo-maxillary fissure ...... te UY) 9 6 From the back of occipital condyle to antorbital process of CHE Ae eo PaO MOR TC CIOICL: SRO OOM Sek acRO eC Cia From the antorbital process of malar to end of snout ........ From the back of occipital condyles to posterior wall of left | MLOS URI" soranele such cre "sa SaY eat co te atrcioutis Een eee te en Meret nha From the bottom of malo-maxillary fissure to end of snout.... | From the beginning of malo-maxillary fissure to end of snout. . Breadth of snout between the fore part of the antorbital notches Ginithallbink SOontio ween oer danGod Goo camorictee | Breadth of snont at its extremity 2... 0..26- sess seme ctene Breadth of premaxillaries at the malo-maxillary fissure ...... | Breadth between anterior ends of premaxillaries............ Antero-posterior diameter of left nostril Mransyerse diameter of lett nostril’. - jr ciccieiee eepelels eres are Antero-posterior diameter of right nostril Transverse diameter of right nostril ................00005: | Length of interfrontal crest, straight line Width of occipital foramen ) Vertical diameter of foramen A eo poo die DH W Ga eie aie. win aye aetna 13. «10 Lengthiofialveolar:series) 3.2.2, <:.%s5. stoke w dc aotatehalomsitoene TO Height of mandible at coronoid ridge DWWONANHFHEWOOCOHRHONE ER BOF HOAANODWAKWOURWHS vo POOH RMEOHOWNHWNHO NIA WWWOOSRANORHOWHSOSD WOO In the skull of the Physeter simus the occipital elements have coalesced with each other and with the surrounding bones. The vertical diameter of the basioccipital * Annales Frangaises et Etrangéres d’Anatomie et de Physiologie, tom. ii. tab. x. (the admeasurements are given in French inches), viz. :—‘“ Longueur du crane 14 pouces et demi,’”=15" 5’, Engl. “Longueur de la machoire inférieure 13 pouces,”=13" 10'", Engl. Ecartement de ses condyles 12 pouces,’”=12" 9” Engl. PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. 85 (Pls. XII., XTII., & XIV. fig. 2, 1) beneath the foramen magnum (ib. 0) is 8 lines: it is here convex vertically, and concave transversely, showing a width between the lower end of the occipital condyles (to which it probably contributed) of only 4 lines. These (Pl. XII. fig. 2, 2’) are more sessile than in Phocena brevirostris, being raised only by a linear border from the contiguous bone, except at their lower ends, which are rather more prominent: the long diameter of the condyle is 2” 2”, the greatest breadth 1”: they are terminal, diverge as they ascend the sides of the foramen magnum, which is widest opposite their upper ends: the outer border of the condyle is more convex than the inner one. The foramen magnum is oval, with the larger end upward and not notched: the aspect of the plane of the aperture is backward and a little upward: in Physeter macrocephalus (Pl. XIV. fig. 2, 0) it is more upward than backward. The ex- (2) and superoccipital (3,3') plate inclines from below, upward, outward, and forward, with a moderate convexity or indication of a pair of such. The exoc- cipital portion (Pl. XII. 2) extends outward and slightly downward, expanding a little vertically, and thickening to form the paroccipital (4); this expanse is moderately concave transversely, convex vertically. The border of the paroccipital is thick and rugged: it is concave toward the otocrane (Pl. XII. fig. 1, and Pl. XIII. fig. 2, e), of which it forms the posterior half of the upper, and part of the posterior wall: it is divided below by a fissure (Pls. XII. & XIII. fig. 2,7) from the otocranial plate of the basioccipito-sphenoid (Pl. XII. fig. 1, and Pl. XIII. fig. 2,5’): this plate arches out- ward and downward, with a slight obliquity backward, and is overlapped anteriorly by the pterygoid (ib. 24’), which seems to form an anterior continuation thereof, converging towards its fellow: but the free border of the basisphenoidal otocranial plate (5’) is more obtuse and thicker than that of its pterygoid prolongation (24). A trace of the suture between the exoccipital (Pl. XII. fig. 1, 2) and squamosal (ib. 27) remains. ‘The ridge across the vertex (Pls. XII. & XIII. fig. 1, 7,11,3) is obtuse, but well marked : the proportions contributed by the superoccipital (3), parietal (7), and interparietal (if any) cannot be determined; and the frontal (11), as it ascends, contracting from the superorbital roof, is also blended with those constituents of the ridge'. The instructive harmonia between basi- (Pls. XIII. & XIV. fig. 1, 5) and presphenoid (ib. 9) remains. The alisphenoid (Pl. XIII. fig. 2,6), coalesced with the basisphenoid, where it is underlapped by the pterygoid ( 24’), is horizontal; it extends to the lower border of 1 To afford a comparison with Physeter macrocephalus, I propose to append, in the present note, descrip- tions of the homologous cranial bones of a foetus of that species described, in my ‘ Catalogue of the Osteological Series in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, 4to. 1853:—“ The elements of the occipital neural arch are unanchylosed. The lateral margins of the anterior half of the basioccipital are produced and bent obliquely downward. The exoccipitals are much produced and expanded laterally: they are deeply notched below. The superoccipital contributes the upper ends of both condyles: it is in the form of a vertical plate, conyex from side to side: a strong internal vertical crest is produced forwards: it is overlapped at its lower and lateral angles by the exoccipitals, anterior to which it reaches the alisphenoids, and is notched externally for the reception of the upper angle of the squamosal” (op. cit. p. 442). | F 2 6 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. (ah) the temporal fossa (ib. ¢), underlapping the squamosal (ib. 27), and thinning-off to its outer margin: its anterior border is notched by the intersphenal fossa (#7): there is no distinct foramen ovale. It supports the natiform protuberance of the cerebrum, and is divided from the orbitosphenoid (ib. 10) by the intersphenal fissure (¢r), from which two channels lead toward the back part of the orbital roof (or), blending together and widening as they grow shallow!. The temporal fossa (Pl. XII. & Pl. XU. fig. 2, t) is 1” 1” in antero-posterior, and 2” in transverse extent, has its marginal boundary almost completed by the approximation of the postfrontal (ib. 12) to the zygo- matic part of the squamosal (ib. 27), the distance between their free ends being but Gms but the zygoma terminates on a lower level (Pl. XI. fig. 1, 27). The presphenoid (Pls. XIII. & XIV. fig. 2,9) retains its distinction from the basi- sphenoid (5), but has coalesced with the orbitosphenoids (10), as have these with the alisphenoids (6). The orbitosphenoid (ib. 10) has its posterior boundary partially defined by the inter- sphenal fissure, at the fore part of which the optic canal is marked off by an intercranial process arching over the same downward and backward (Pl. XIV. fig. 2,2”): the orbito- sphenoids expand and ascend to form with the coalesced frontals the anterior wall of the cranial cavity ; the optic channel extends forward and outward from the intersphenal fissure, and, blending with the trigeminal one (PI. XIII. fig. 2, #7), is lost on the roof of the orbit (ib. or)?. The fossa (ib. d), into which the foramina on the frontal or nasal plate of the maxillary opens, is in advance of the optic channel (ib. 10). There is no intraorbital fossa answering to that in Phocena brevirostris. The roof of the orbit is unbroken, gently con- cave from before backward, formed chiefly by the frontal (Pl. XII. fig. 1,11, 11’), which is notched near the middle of the superorbital ridge: this is thick, obtuse, and produced backward and downward into a postfrontal or postorbital process (ib. 12). Above the ridge, the frontal (ib. 11’) contracts; its surface is here free from the maxillary (21’), is slightly concave vertically, before it is reduced by the overlapping of the parietal (7) and superocci- pital (3) behind, and of the maxillary ( 21’ ) in front, to the narrow strip (11), which rises, bending convexly, to the vertex. The fore part of the superorbital ridge (11) is cb- tuse, and thickens to join the malar (26), from which it is partly divided by a notch®. 1 « The basisphenoid, or thick hexagonal bone, concave from side to side below, nearly flat above, is anchylosed to the alisphenoids: these are perforated near the middle of their base by the foramina ovalia and rotunda, have a thick quadrate plate on their inner side, forming their entocranial surface: they extend into a point anteriorly, and articulate both with the frontal and with the parietal angle of the superoccipital. The squamosal receives the alisphenoid in a groove anteriorly.” —Physeter macrocephalus, op. cit. p. 442. * «The presphenoid and the anchylosed orbitosphenoids form the anterior wall of the cranial cavity, and are perforated by the optic foramina: they articulate anteriorly with the frontal, sending up a small process into the interspace at the beginning of the frontal suture, which process is impressed by a fossa in each of its sides: the posterior and lateral parts of the orbitosphenoids unite with the great ale; the under and anterior part is overlapped by the vomer.”—Physeter macrocephalus, op. cit. p. 447. * “The frontals are large triangular plates, concave externally, with the outer and fore angle produced into PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. 37 The vomer (Pl. XIII. figs. 1 & 2, 13, 13’) has partially coalesced with the presphenoid (ib. fig. 2,9) and underlaps the prefrontals (Pl. XIV. fig. 1, 14): it appears upon the palate, about an inch in advance of the posterior fissure (Pl. XIII. fig. 2, w), expands toa breadth of 6 lines (13), and is continued to the anterior end of the upper jaw, which it forms, contracting there to a breadth of 3 lines. Its under surface is flat; its upper surface (fig. 1, 13), which is similarly exposed on that aspect of the muzzle, is smoothly and widely canaliculate: the groove lodges the cartilage in the fissure separating the premaxil- laries (ib. 22), which cartilage terminates anteriorly the series of vertebral centrums, of which the vomer is the inferior or cortical ossification. The fore margin of the confluent prefrontals (ib. 14) isat 3 inches distance from the fore end of the vomer. The prefrontal, losmg breadth and gaining depth, recedes with a slight bend to the left, forming the inner boundary of the large left nostril (ib. 07) and the corresponding wall of the small right nostril (Pl. XIV. fig. 1, o/’). The nasal bones are confluent with that osseous mass (Pl. XII1.fig.1,15) which rises from the back of the septum narium and extends in a sinuous course, first convex to the left and then concave before subsiding at the vertex (15'): this ridge also sends off a kind of “spur” (15) from its right side, in the form of a short ridge, inclining to the right, with a convex border, thick and obtuse like that of the main ridge: the intervening space (ib. y) between these ridges expands as it extends forward, with a smooth sinuous surface concave across slightly contracting again as it ends behind the right nostril!. A trace of the suture of the palatines (Pl. XIII. fig. 2,20) shows that they entered into the formation of the bony palate for half an inch at the postpalatal end of the vomer ( 13‘), almost meeting each other behind that part: as they extend outward, they expand to a fore-and-aft breadth of 10’, with a convex surface, most so in their direction from within, outward and backward, contracting to terminate mesiad of the fossa (d): they develope no outer or free lamella in Euphysetes. a long superorbital process, the channel on the under part of which contracts, as it approaches the cranium, into a long, deep, and narrow groove. The median anterior part of the bone unites with both orbito- and ali- sphenoid, and external to this is the broad sutural surface for the sqnamosal. The straight median margins of the frontals are thinned off and joined by a squamous frontal suture, the right overlapping the left. The whole posterior and lateral border of the frontals, as far as the junction with the squamosal, presents a broad oblique sutural surface, which joins, by overlapping, the contiguous border of the occipital. The smooth cerebral surface of the frontal is flat at the middle, arched at the sides, and not impressed by any conyolutions.” —Physeter macrocephalus, op. cit. p. 442. 1M. de Blainville figures, but makes no mention of this bony ridge bisecting the “postnarial” cavity. Dr. Gray, in appending the term Kogia to the Physeter breviceps, De Blainv. (Zoology of the Erebus and Terror, “ Cetacea,” 4to, 1846, p. 22), is equally silent—indeed, adds nothing to De Blainville’s meagre sketch of so remarkable a cranium, and quotes his admeasurements as in English inches and lines, without correction for the difference of the French “foot.” Macleay was the first who pointed out the heavy ridge of bone that longitudinally divides the spermacetic cavity into two unequal parts (op. cit. p. 47) as sub- generically distinguishing his Huphysetes from Physeter or Catodon. 38 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. The maxillary (Pl. XII. fig. 1, Pl. XIII. figs. 1 and 2, 21) forms the major part of the bony roof of the mouth: a small triangular strip of the premaxillary (Pl. XIII. fig. 2, 22) is wedged into the short anterior interspace between the maxillary (2) and vomer (13'). The palatal surface (21*) is moderately convex transversely, straight lengthwise, and is impressed by an alveolar groove (q/) retaining one socket and tooth (Pl. XII. fig. 1, 2) at the fore end and continued in a straight line backward for 3 inches (rather more on the left, rather less on the right side) without indications of alveoli, and in a line not parallel with the outer margin of the bone, but receding to a distance of 1 inch from it, posteriorly; so that the teeth, if developed there, would be rather palatal than marginal in position. The outer border of the maxillary thickens near the malo-maxillary fissure (21, /), with a smooth convex exterior. That fissure dilates, as it sinks obliquely backward and inward, to a breadth of from 3 lines to 4 lines, its depth being 1 inch 6 lines (4). These fissures mark off the rostral portion of the skull, which is here an equilateral triangle, including above (Pl. XIII. fig. 1) parts of the yomer (13), prefrontal (14), premaxillaries (22), and maxillaries (21): the surface so formed is concave transversely at its posterior three-fourths, almost straight longitudinally. The maxillary, expanding backward beyond the rostrum, bends (at /, fig. 1) round the upper and back part of the malo-maxillary fissure; and in close conjunction (here partial con- fluence) with the malar (26), it forms the large smooth tuberosity (21,26) external to the fissure: from the tuberosity the convex raised border of the posterior expanded plate of the maxillary comes into connexion with the frontal (11), whence it subsides to form a deep hollow as it sweeps inward to rise again upon the bifurcate sinuous ridge (ib. 15,15”) which divides this singular postnarial tract, or spermacetic cavity, of the upper surface of the cranium. ‘The total breadth of this cavity is 6 mches 4 lines, the posterior three-fourths of its circumference, so bounded by the maxillaries and describing as much of a circle, being a little produced backward, subangularly, at the hindmost part: the open anterior fourth is continued upon the more shallow concavity of the triangular rostrum. The right maxillary is vertically pierced by two foramina (Pl. XIII. fig. 1, a, 2), which converge to the common inferior outlet (ib. fig. 2,d). The upper fissure between the maxillary and premaxillary widens and deepensas it extends backward, and terminates in the canal (fig. 1, ¢), also conducting to the fossa (fig. 2, d), which, as it transmits maxillary branches of the fifth pair from the orbit to the exterior of the skull, is homologous with the antorbital foramen of other mammals: the altered position of the outlet, as regards the orbit itself, is the result of the reflection, so to speak, of the facial surface and nasal plates of the maxillaries upon the forehead above and behind the orbits. The pterygoids (Pl. XIII. fig. 2, 24) meet at the midsurface of the roof of the mouth, and extend the palatine suture (p/) backward beyond the palatine bones (20). From this line each pterygoid extends outward and backward, and divides mto an internal and external pterygoid plate: the former terminates in a short triedral process, representing PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. a9 the “hamular” one; the outer portion, partly marked off by a ridge from the palatine plate of the inner portion, bends outward and backward with a convexity toward the palate, then slightly inward, as if twisted on itself, and, expanding at its upper attach- ments to the pre-, orbito-, ali-, and basi-sphenoids, terminates by developing the deep and broad plate (ib. 24’) which appears to continue forward the otocranial plate (5') of the basioccipito-sphenoid. The inner surface of the outer part of the pterygoid is vertically concave to its posterior lamella, which is so bent as to make that surface somewhat convex: the concave channel prolongs backward the nasal passage (w) beyond the septum. A semicircular emargination divides the posterior subvertical plate from the palatine portion (24) of the pterygoid. The total length of the pterygoid is 4 inches 8 lines; the breadth of the pair of bones posteriorly is 5 inches; the sutural union of the pterygoid with surrounding bones persists'. The malar bone (PI. XII. fig. 1, Pl. XIII. figs. 1, 2, 26) is represented in the present skull by the portion of that in Delphinide (Pl. IX. figs. 1, 3,26’) which is wedged like a lacrymal? between the frontal (11’) and maxillary (21”) at the upper and fore part of the orbit (07): it is here of a subtriedral conical shape, with its base notched for a wedged union with the maxillary above, and concave where it joins the frontal behind: the inner angle of the base curves forward, with a slight twist, to unite again with the maxillary at the inner side of the malo-maxillary fissure (4). The outer facet of the malar is slightly concave vertically, convex transversely: the antero-internal facet is concave in both directions, except where it curves anteriorly round the obtuse angle between it and the outer surface: the internal or orbital surface is the narrowest, and is conxex trans- versely, and straight vertically. The apex is subbifid, the outer part (Pl. XII. fig. 1, z) low and obtuse, the inner one longer, produced downward and rather backward, and terminating less obtusely; but there is no sign of any slender zygomatic style having been continued from this part, as in Phocena brevirostris (Pl. TX. fig. 1, 26). It would seem, therefore, that the zygomatic processes of both malar and squamosal were short and free; they are separated by an interval of more than 2 inches in the present skull, which interval I found occupied by a ligament (“sclerous” state of malar) in a young Cachalot®. The squamosal forms an articular surface (PI. XIII. fig. 2, 27,7) for the mandible, look- 1«The pterygoid, which is double the size of the palatine, extends backward to the basioccipital, articulating in that course by its expanded upper border with the pre-, basi-, and ali-sphenoids ; from this border the bone descends arching inward toward its fellow, which it joins along the anterior half of its extent: the remain- ing free border is divided from this by a deep notch, and circumscribes the posterior bony aperture of the nostril.” —Physeter macrocephalus, op. cit. p. 443. 2 Tf this be the homologue of a lacrymal, it is not merely confluent, but connate with the malar. 3 «The malar is moderately long and slender, bent upon itself at an acute angle; the upper portion, wedged between the maxillary and frontal, is the thickest; the lower and more slender branch is bent down- ward and backward, circumscribing the orbit anteriorly and below, and is connected by ligament to the zygomatic process of the squamosal. There is no lacrymal bone.”—Physeter macrocephalus, op. cit. p. 444. 40 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. ing downward and forward: the surface is rather convex at the anterior border from behind forward, and is very slightly concave in the rest of its extent; it is smooth and with an ill-defined circumference: the anterior boundary, which also forms the posterior one of the lower outlet of the temporal fossa, is concave : the wall (Pl. XII. fig. 1, 27') which the squamosal contributes to the posterior and internal part of the temporal fossa (#) expands as it bends forward to join the parietal (7) and frontal (11): the suture with the superoccipital (3) is close to the upper boundary of the fossa; that with the exoccipital (2) continues a short way beyond the squamosal, and indicates the extent of the exoccipital. On the outer part of the base of the zygomatic or articular process the bone is tuberous, and represents the mastoid (8); behind the articular surface it is roughly excavated (PJ. XIII. fig. 2, 8"), where it contributes, with the paroccipital (4), to the otocranial cavity'. In the interior of the cranium (Pl. XIV. fig. 1) the upper or epencephalic surface of the basioccipital is moderately concave, and is bounded laterally by a short, obtuse, longi- tudinal ridge, directed mesiad, which may be where the exoccipital suture ran: the outer or lateral beginning of the tentorium receives a short angular ossification, which forms the outer wall of the fossa (v), perforated by the vagal and acoustic foramina, both of which pass directly outward to that at the back part of the fundus of the otocranial cavity (Pl. XII. fig. 1, Pl. XIII. fig. 2, e). A small branch channel from the vagal one opens upon the outer surface of the exoccipital at the groove which runs to the cleft (Pl. XII. fig. 2, 7) between the otocranial plates of the basisphenoid (5) and paroccipitals (4). At the fore part of the tentorial process (Pl. XIV. fig. 1,v) is the foramen of a canal which opens outwardly upon the alisphenoid: it is too small for the carotid, and may have given exit to a vein. I cannot discover any distinct entocarotid canal, any more than a distinct foramen ovale, foramen rotundum, or foramen opticum: they all seem here to be confounded in the intersphenal fissure (PJ. XIII. fig. 2, tr). From the extreme shortness of the jaws, the nerves of sensation to the face must have been very small. The “sella” (Pl. XIV. figs. 1 & 3), scarcely impresses the basisphenoid: its best antero-external boundaries are afforded by the superoptic processes of the orbitosphenoid (ib. n). There is no ossification of the falx?, no trace of olfactory foramina. The great- est diameter of the cranial cavity is in the direction of breadth. The lower jaw (Pl. XII, fig. 1, 29-32) is 7 inches 4 lines ina straight line from the back ‘ «The squamosal is a comparatively small, but strong and thick, triangular bone; the upper end repre- sents the expanded squamous part in land mammals, and is articulated by broad, dentated sutural margins to the frontal and exoccipital: its anterior border is grooved for the reception of the alisphenoid: the lower angle is as it were truncated, and presents a rough surface for the attachment of the petro-tympanic: a short, obtuse anterior angle bends forward and represents the zygomatic process: the under surface presents a smooth shallow cavity for the condyle of the lower jaw: the inner border of the glenoid surface is produced downward into a slender process.” —Physeter macrocephalus, op. cit. p. 444. * In the Great Cachalot “a strong medial crest is produced forward from the inner surface of the super~- occipital” (Joc. cit. p. 442), PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. 41 of the condyle to the fore end of the symphysis. Each ramus has a convex, almost semicircular posterior margin, curving upward and backward from below (30), where the angle normally exists in other mammals, and then forward to the seat of the coronoid process (29): at the hindmost part of this curve the border is thickened to form the sessile condyle, adapted to the glenoid surface of the squamosal. Here the border bends outward: as the ramus advances, converging to its fellow, it is slightly bent with the convexity outward, which again is changed to a concavity (lengthwise), where it joins the opposite ramus to form the elongate symphysis (32), which is continued straight forward to its termination. The symphysis here forms rather less than a third of the entire length of the mandible, being 2 inches 4 lines in extent. The greatest vertical diameter of the ramus is 2 inches 2 lines; that at the beginning of the symphysis is 8 lines!. In the alveolar groove are partially excavated sockets for nine teeth; the four middle intervals are severally equal to twice the basal diameter of the tooth: at the ends of the series, especially the anterior one, the alveolar intervals are less. The teeth (PL XII. fig. 1, and 4) are small, straight, conical, obtuse, not exceeding 8 lines in length, of which the cylindrical base has a diameter of 2 lines, that of the crown a diameter of 14 line, with a length of 24 lines, diminishing to a subrecurved apex. The loss of symmetry in this skull is hardly observable in the general contour, whether viewed from above (Pl. XIII. fig. 1) or below (fig. 2): it is chiefly, almost exclusively, confined to the nostrils and the bones concerned in the composition of those passages; and this is only conspicuous in the upper surface of the skull. In Euphysetes breviceps, Bl., according to the figure of the side view of the skull (copied in Pl. XTV. fig. 3), the occipital condyle is more prominent than in Euphysetes simus (P1. XII. fig. 1): the contour of the superoccipital is concave in Euphysetes breviceps, but is convex in Euphysetes simus—very feebly so, indeed, but as far as it departs from a straight line being in the direction of convexity. The most marked difference, however, is the greater proportional length of the rostral part of the, skull—measured, viz., from the ma- lomaxillary fissure (ib. & Pl. XIII. /) to the end of the upper jaw (22, ): in Huphysetes breviceps it forms about two-fifths of the entire length of the skull, in Ewphysetes simus about two-sevenths. The proportion of the maxillary, above the frontal and malar, on * «The condyle of the mandible projects from the posterior part of the ascending ramus, which is com- pressed and produced into a low obtuse coronoid process above, and into a similar angle below: a wide excavation, beginning at the inner side of the ascending ramus, deepens and contracts into the dental canal which enters the substance of the horizontal ramus: a fissure is continued along the inner side of the ramus from this canal, and is the sole indication of a compound structure of the jaw. The vessels and nerves emerge from several foramina at the outer side of the ramus, where it is attached by its long symphysis to its fellow: the upper border of the symphysial part of the ramus is excavated by a continuous dentigerous groove, some- what resembling, in the present foetal state, that in the upper jaw. The length of the symphysis in this skull is three-fourths that of the rest of the ramus. In the adult male the disproportionate growth of this part of the jaw leads to more excessive length of the symphysial part beyond the rest of the ramus.”— Op. cit. p. 444, foetal Physeter macrocephalus. VOL. VI—— PART I. G 42 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEHA. the exterior of the skull is much greater in Euphysetes breviceps than in Euphysetes simus, especially in vertical extent: in the upper view of the skull the porportion of the postnarial cavity, especially in breadth, to the extent of the rostrum is less in Euphysetes breviceps than in Luphysetes simus. 'To these differences must be added the difference in the number and shape of the teeth. In Euphysetes breviceps there are fourteen or fifteen teeth, or sockets for as many, in each mandibular ramus: the entire tooth, figured by De Blain- ville (copied in Pl. XIV. fig 2. 2), is 10 lines in length, and has a proportionally larger and more curved crown than in Euphysetes simus. De Blainville writes, “ I] me parait ad peu prés certain qu'il n’y avait pas de dents a la machoire supérieure” (J. ¢. p. 337); and these are equally absent in Huphysetes grayi: the first of the maxillary series remains exposed, as a functional tooth, in the quite adult skull of the smaller Indian species, Euphysetes simus. From Euphysetes grayi the present species differs not only in this dental character and its smaller size, but in its proportionally shorter muzzle, and in the minor number and wider disposition of the mandibular teeth. Thirteen teeth are found in each ramus of the lower jaw of the specimen of Euphysetes grayi in the Sydney Museum: they are divided by interspaces of less than their own basal diameter, and have relatively longer crowns than those of £. simus. There are twelve teeth in the right, and nine teeth in the left ramus of the mandible of Euphysetes breviceps, De Blainv.: they are as wide apart as in Ewphysetes simus, but have crowns more slender and recurved. In the figures of the mandible given by De Blainville (loc. cit. pl. 10), and by Macleay (doc. cit. pl. 2. fig. 5), the breadth between the outer parts of the condyles equals the length of the mandible in a straight line, that is, from the middle of the chord drawn between the condyles to the end of the symphysis. In Euphysetes simus the breadth exceeds the length so taken. Among other differences between the present member of the Physeteride and the Delphinide (see Phocena brevirostris, Pl. LX. fig. 1) is the non-production of the upper or hinder expansion (naso-frontal plate) of the maxillary (Pl. XII. fig. 1, 21*,21”) over the orbital process of the frontal( 11,11’); which, therefore, in Euphysetes simus as in Euphysetes breviceps, stands out free (Pl. XII. fig. 1,11’) from the upper and lateral parts of the cranium behind the maxillary ( 21 21’). Bones of the Trunk and Fins. (P\. X1. fig. 2.) Having been favoured with photographs of these bones in Huphysetes grayi by the present able Curator (Mr. Kreffts) of the Australian Museum, I have thought it might be useful to add the following notes :— Euphysetes (Pl. XI. fig. 2) has fifty vertebra, viz. seven cervical, fourteen dorsal, twenty-nine lumbari-sacro-caudal: in the latter series the hemapophysial arch first appears between the sixth and seventh (or between the twenty-seventh and twenty- eighth vertebree counting from the skull): the hemapophyses cease to be developed at PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. 45 the twentieth (or forty-first from the skull), leaving ten, perhaps eleven, terminal vertebree represented by depressed centrums, gradually diminishing to the last. The seven cervicals are anchylosed: the diapophyses distinguish the atlas and axis, the former of which vertebre does not retain, as in Physeter, its separate condition; the fifth, sixth, and seventh are lamelliform, from extreme anteroposterior compression. The dorsal spines progressively, but very gradually, gain in height to the last; beyond which they again, and more rapidly, shorten to the base of the tail, disappearing in the fortieth vertebra from the skull. ‘The metapophysis begs to project above the prozygapophysis in the fifth dorsal, and supersedes that process in the articulation of the neural arches in the seventh or eighth dorsal. The four anterior pairs of ribs directly join the sternum, which consists of three sternebers, each more or less completely divided at the middle line into two bones. ‘The first rib is broad, flat, and angularly bent, articulated by the tubercle to the first dorsal diapophysis, and by a ligament representing the head to the centrum of the seventh cervical: its connate sternal portion articulates with the antero- external angle of the manubrium. The second and six following ribs have both head and tubercle, the former abutting against the interspace of their own and antecedent centrums; the tubercle of the rib is attached to the diapophysis of its own vertebra: the second rib, less broad but one-fourth longer than the first, has a short, partly ossified cartilage, which joins the interspace between the first and second sternebers. The third, gaining length, losing breadth, and with more regular curvature, is arti- culated by its short hemapophysis to the interspace between the second and third sternebers. The fourth rib is joined to the end of the third sterneber. After the seventh the ribs lose their heads, become shorter, more slender, less curved—gradually to the tenth, which is 9 inches in length—suddenly in the fourteenth, which is a straight style is hardly an inch long. There are two pairs of pelvic bone. ‘The pectoral fins are relatively short and rather obtuse. The scapula is a flat triangular plate, with a con- vexly curved base, in extent equalling the fore-and-aft range of the five anterior dorsal spines. An obtuse rising near the anterior costa, at its humeral half, developes near the glenoid cavity a small coracoid directed forward. The acromion is much larger, and is produced from a greater extent of the anterior costa in the form of a parallelo- gram. ‘The ulna developes scarcely any olecranon. ‘There are five digits: the first and fifth are the shortest, each with a metacarpal and two phalanges; the second and third digits are the longest, with five and four phalanges respectively, besides the metacarpal ; the fourth digit, intermediate in length between the third and fifth, has a metacarpal and four phalanges. Conclusion. The first remark that I am led to make on a review of the cetacean characters above- defined in connexion with those previously recorded is, that they are all gradational, and exemplify steps by which are gained the extreme modifications, especially in the skull and dentition. @ 2 44 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. Imperfect as may be the cetacean record, it yields several series of differential cha- racters,—as, ¢.g., in the proportion of the rostral to the cranial part of the skull, from Physeter simus to Physeter macrocephalus and Platanista—in the degree of expansion of the back part of the maxillaries, exemplified, step by step, in Balena, Delphinus, Pho- cena, Ziphius, Euphysetes, and Physeter, again culminating in Platanista—in the number of teeth, from zero (Balena and old Delphinapteri), through Monodon, Ziphius, Euphy- setes, to the multitude of teeth in Delphinus, Cuv. The formation of germs of teeth in parts of the jaws of foetal or young individuals of species which are edentulous in the full-grown individuals, the examples of which are too well known to need citation here, are, perhaps, amongst the most significant of the gradational modifications, above referred to, being due to deviations in offspring from the characters of parents. Such departures or variations may have been slight in the first instance, few and far between in the members of a contemporary generation, and rare exceptions to the rule of hereditary likeness; but, occurring in the course of many generations, through long lapse of time, they might lead to “ long-snouted” and “ short-snouted” breeds, and to others exemplifying the various observed cranial and dental modifications of cetacean structures. In such conjectural mutations of specific characters may be discerned a fore-ordained law of deviation from primitive type, through the operance of which the ocean has at length become peopled with so many strange modifications of the cetacean structure. But such instances of exceptional freedom from the trammels of family likeness seem to be independent of external influences. The ocean has none of those diversities of condition which the dry land shows, and is exempt from the few which in fresh waters may be invoked to account for varieties in the species of fish. It is true that the trout (Salmo fario) of the mountain-streamlets is small, while that of the wide river or wider lake is large; but no such differences can be invoked to explain the origin of the dwarf Euphysetes or the giant Physeter: both have alike the unlimited seas for their range, But the same river may have the pike, the carp, the salmon, the eel, &c.; these modifications of the piscine type exist in waters of the same temperature, same rate of flow, and same nature of bed. Where can we here discern selective influences equiva- lent to produce such changes of structure? The hypothesis is still less conceivable in regard to the ocean. ‘The various Cetacea of the Indian seas exist in a medium of the same nature, exempt from any influence of the earth beneath them, or of aught that may there live and grow. ‘The external influence or power that could “select” the maxillary wall of the cireumnarial basin, e.g., in Hyperoodon, Ziphius, Huphysetes, Physeter, Platanista, is inconceivable. But the occasional departure from parental type, manifested by a so-called abnormal or monstrous proportion of the nasal or facial plate of the maxillary, may accord PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. 45 with the idea suggested by the observed steps in a gradation of such deviational developments. So far the species thereby characterized may be held as evidences of orderly succession and progression due to inherent organic force, operating according to a natural law or “ secondary cause,” of the precise nature of which we are yet in ignorance. But we may feel assured that the Power which called into being the first cetacean type fore- knew and planned, by predetermined degrees and kinds of departure from that type, all its subsequent modifications'. But much knowledge of the facts of organization is still needed for successfully grappling with these transcendent questions ; and the progress of zoology has been slower in regard to the Cetaceans than to most other orders of animals. This is due to their medium of existence, to the extreme latitudes at which some of the species have to be sought for, and to the vast bulk which certain species attain’. The latter characteristic precludes the preservation and exposition of the requisite spe- cimens in private collections or even in those of associations of the cultivators of natural history willing to carry on the work of advancement of the science at their own cost and to the extent of their means and usually limited incomes. The diversities of structure exemplifying specific characters in Balena, Balenoptera, Physeter, Hyperoodon, &c., and those which have suggested as many subgeneric divisions and names of the Cuvierian genera of those gigantic animals, are best exemplified in their skeletons, both by modifications of particular bones, and by proportions of the several regions of the skeleton; but the framework of these animals, put together to exemplify their articulations and proportions, require for their exhibition the resources of a National Museum. There, and there only, can an intelligent public and the student of this branch of Mammalogy expect to find the means of contemplating and comparing the characters and structures of the strangest as well as hugest of animals—the most seldom seen, by reason of their ocean haunts—air-breathers, yet living in water—hot- blooded, though ever surrounded by a rapidly refrigerating medium—of man’s own class by every essential of organization, but fishes in shape—a recent development of life- form on our planet, and the superseders of the great sea-lizards in their office in the ocean police. Hitherto the expectations of both student and sightseer have been disappointed. Space (the first essential towards fulfilling this exigency) has been found too costly ; at all events the guardians of the public purse have thought it not desirable, as yet, to vote the sums requisite for the galleries, however simple in structure, which are needed for the Cetaceous Department of a Zoological Museum’. 1 Owen, ‘ On the Nature of Limbs,’ 1849, p. 86. 2 T may also add, from aggravating experience, the conflicting claims to the legal ownership of such monsters of the deep when they happen to be cast upon any part of the shores of Great Britain. 3 See Hansard, ‘ Debate on Museum of Natural History,’ May 19th, 1862, p. 1928. 46 Ss: Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. 5 Fig. Fig. Fig. ob PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES. PLATE III. Delphinus (Steno) gadamu: diminished to scale. . Side view. . Upper view: 6 blow-hole. PLATE IV. Delphinus gadamu. . Side view of skull (wanting back part of cranium). . Side view of mandible. . Upper view of mandible: ss symphysis. . Symphysial end, inner view of mandible. . Bony palate. All the figures are nearly half the natural size. PLATE V. . Delphinus fusiformis, side view (diminished to scale). . Delphinus lentiginosus, side view (1d.). . The same, upper view. PLATE VI. . Delphinus maculiventer (to scale of Plate V.). . The same, upper view. . Delphinus pomeegra (id.). PLATE VII. Delphinus fusiformis. . Side view of cranium and upper jaw. . Side view of lower jaw. Upper view of cranium and upper jaw. . Under view of ditto. . Upper view of symphysis of lower jaw. All the figures are nearly half the natural size. PLATE VIII. . Side view of cranium and upper jaw of Delphinus pomeegra. . Under view of upper jaw of ditto. . Side view of under jaw of ditto. Fig. Fig. Fig. to} Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. 47 . Upper view of symphysis of under jaw. . Under view of upper jaw of Delphinus euphrosyne. All the figures are half the natural size. PLATE IX. Phocena brevirostris. . Side view of cranium and upper jaw. . Upper view of ditto. . Under view of ditto. All the figures are nearly half the natural size. PLATE X. Euphysetes simus. . Side view of female. . Upper view of ditto (drawn to scale). PLATE XI. Euphysetes simus. . Side view of male (to same scale as female, Pl. X.). . Outline of ditto, with skeleton. PLATE XII. Euphysetes simus. . Side view of skull. . Back view of skull (rather more than half the natural size): PLATE XIII. Euphysetes simus. . Upper view of skull. . Under view of ditto (half the natural size). PLATE XIV. . Section of cranium of Euphysetes simus. . Section of cranium of Physeter macrocephalus. . Euphysetes breviceps. NWNVUVD SONIBRDTHC Tr IeUUEH NY IL Yat 4é M.&N Hanhart imp From nat on Stone by J Erxicben DELPHINUS GADAMU q Wilhts .del,et btn JC OER Ores Cee PL Seo EME PEPE oe ee ae ‘ iad ¢ ei = » st Willis. delet,lith M#N Hanhartimp 1 2. DELPHINUS MACULIVENTER, 3.DELE i 7 : vi Bi) id . - — -~ 5 = ’ : ra ote = ium < ~ . , . i yx > < an os We | 5 « ~ : ' v4 4 ’ Ce ey, ON. SM tid Lol juUe UloP ov 1 J-Brxleben,lih ad nat. DELPHINUS (LAGENORHYNCHUS ) FUSIFORMIS. Cr J.Kexleben,lith ad nat. M &N Hanhart ,Imp* 1.4.DKELPHINUS POMEBGRA. 5.D.KUPHROSINE. MAN Hanhart, i Willis del el lith PHOCGENA BREVIROSTRIS YI 48 gleP ST SNWIS BALSA Uy a Tap ST] 39 eee eae Cg lice ts us Chay pp OX AG, G4 5 GL 19 SPWMELMELILEV HOI ¢ he —— Willis. del. et lith. M.&N Hanhartimp : PHYSETHR SIMUS ——ese a ee &NHanhart Imp M Willis del et ith . SIMUt PHYSETER Scale of trendy inches ROwen,del on Stone by d Erxleben 35.PHYSEH ci lo} wp) PT PHYSETER SIMUS.2.PHYSETER MACROCEPHA 17 feet A inches M.&N Hanhart 1mp . BREVICEPS . [ 49 ] III. On the Osteology of the Dodo (Didus ineptus, Linn.). By Professor Owrn, F.RS., ZS, &e. Read January 9th, 1866. [PLates XV. To XXIV.] § 1. Introduction. THE Dodo has long been one of the “curiosities of Natural History,” through the rarity and paucity of the material evidences of the bird. The dried foot in the British Museum, the dried head and foot in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, the skull, lacking the lower jaw, and somewhat mutilated, in the Gottorf Museum at Copenhagen, were all the parts of the bird known to the authors of the admirable monograph on the Dodo and its kindred at the date of its pub- lication’. Subsequently a portion of the bone of the upper beak has been discovered in the Museum of Natural History at Prague’. Such, until the present date, was the sum of the remains of this large, flightless, extinct bird which were known to have reaclied Europe. The happy perception, by the Danish Professor J. Reinhardt, in 1843%, of the resemblance of the beak of the Dodo to that of the tropical Doves, generically separated by Cuvier under the name Vinago, on account of their proportionately larger, more strongly arched, and compressed beak than in other Pigeons, and the still closer * resemblance, in miniature, of the beak of the Samoan Dove to that of the great Mau- ritian bird, which led Titian Peale to give to the former the generic name Didun- culus, directed the ornithologist and ornithotomist to the family in which the most instructive comparisons might be made; and the results of these, so far as relates to to the head and foot and the bones of those parts, published by the authors of the * «The Dodo and its kindred ; or, the History, Affinities, and Osteology of the Dodo, Solitaire, and other Ex- tinct Birds of the Islands Mauritius, Rodriguez, and Bourbon.’ By H. E. Strickland, M.A., F.G.S., F.R.G.S., President of the Ashmolean Society, &c., and A. G. Melville, M.D. Edin., M.R.C.S. 4to, London, 1848. * See Annals of Nat. Hist. ser. 2. vol. vi. p. 290 (1850). : 3 « Bs war in 1843, dass ich auf den Gedanken kam, dass der Dodo eine anomale Taubenform sei; ich iiberzeugte mich bald dass diese Auffassung die einzig richtige sei, und fing an eine Arbeit iiber diesen Gegen- stand yorzubereiten. In 1845 wurde ich aber von meiner Regierung beauftragt eine Reise um die Welt mit einem diinischen Kriegsschiff mitzumachen ; meine Arbeit musste also vorliiufig bei Seite gelegt werden. Schon vor meine Abreise hat ich aber mehrere sowohl dinische wie fremde Naturforscher mit meiner Ansicht bekannt gemacht, und der Beweis das es sich so verhiilt wird Owen finden kénnen :— “1, in den Forhandlingar de Scandinayiske Naturforskers Méde, i Kjébenhayn, 1847, p. 948: und «2. in Sundeyall, Arsberiittelse om Framstegen i vertebrerade Djurens Naturalhistoria og Ethnogryaphien, 1845-50, p. 254.”—Letter from Prof. J, Reinwanpr to Dr, ALBERT GUNTHER. VOL. VI.—PART II. Eg 50 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE above-cited work, left little doubt of the ‘striking affinity which exists between this extinct bird and the Pigeons”’. Whatever doubt, indeed, may have lingered in the minds of naturalists as to this affinity will probably be finally set at rest by the results of the comparison of the large proportion of the skeleton of the Didus ineptus which has at length been transmitted from the island of Mauritius to London, under the following circum- stances. In 1863, I was favoured by Miss A. Burdett Coutts with an introduction to the Bishop of Mauritius, then in this country, and I endeavoured to interest his lordship in aiding or promoting the acquisition, by the British Museum, of the zoological rarities of Mada- gascar, and especially of any remains of the Dodo which might be discovered in the island of Mauritius, to which his lordship was about to return. How speedily and successfully the Bishop has fulfilled my latter desire will be shown by the following letter, with which I was favoured in November, 1865. “St. James, Port Louis, “ October 7, 1865. “My pDEAR Sir,—when I had the pleasure of conversing with you for a short time in London two years ago, I promised to acquaint you with any facts or discoveries which might come to my knowledge, likely to interest you in connexion with Mada- gascar. I have not anything as yet to communicate definitely respecting that island in the way of natural history, but I have strong reasons to believe that a discovery has been made here recently which will gratify you very much. Mr. George Clark, who has for many years devoted himself to the work of teaching in. this island with great success, is an ardent student of natural history, and has explored many parts of the island in search of information on the subject. From careful observation he was led to conclude that no remains of the Dodo were likely to be found in any of our watercourses, because of their steep descent and the immense rush of water which sweeps down them at times. But he had also frequently expressed his opinion that in certain marshes, with high banks of sand between them and the sea, such remains would probably be found. In one of these places he has found several of the bones of the Dodo (as he believes), and is now forwarding them home for your in- spection *. At his request, I write these lines to ask for your kind care of his interests in securing any reward which may accrue to him. It would be a great pleasure to me to find that his discovery was really important, and likely to be useful to himself; for he has pursued these and similar investigations with an amount of intelligence, skill, and diligence, in his vacation-times (by no means extensive), which deserves much credit and encouragement. * Reinhardt, quoted by Strickland, op. cit. p. 41 (see also p. 70). * This Collection was purchased by the Trustees of the British Museum for the sum of £100. OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 51 “The book which you kindly sent me on the Aye-Aye has been read by many, and especially by medical men, with much interest. I entrusted the other copy to Mr. John Douglas for the Society here. “JT remain, my dear Sir, “Your very faithful Servant, (Signed) “ Vincent N. Mauritius,” * Professor Owen.” This letter was accompanied with the following “ Statement” by Mr. George Clark, Master of the Government School at Mahébourg, Island of Mauritius :— “On the estate called ‘ Plaisance,’ about three miles from Mahébourg, in the island of Mauritius, there is a ravine of no great depth or steepness, which, apparently, once conveyed to the sea the drainings of a considerable extent of circumjacent land, but which has been stopped to seaward, most likely for ages, by an accumulation of sand extending all along the shore. The outlet from this ravine having been thus impeded, a sort of bog has been formed, called ‘La Mare aux Songes,’ in which is a deposit of alluvium, varying in depth, on account of the inequalities of the bottom, which is formed of large masses of basalt, from three to ten or twelve feet. The proprietor of the estate a few weeks ago conceived the idea of employing this alluvium as manure; and shortly after, the men began digging in it; when they had got to a depth of three or four feet they found numerous bones of large tortoises, among which were a carapace and a plastron pretty nearly entire, as also several crania. “When I heard of this, it immediately struck me that the spot was one of the most likely possible to contain bones of the Dodo, and I gave directions to the men working there to look out for any bones they might find. Nothing, however, was turned up but a fragment of what I supposed to be the humerus of a large bird. This encouraged me to look further; and my search was rewarded by the discovery of several tibia, more or less perfect, two tarsi, one nearly perfect pelvis, and fragments of three others. «These were found imbedded in a black vegetable mould, the lighter-coloured specimens being near the springs.. My reasons for believing these to be remains of the Dodo are:—the certainty that that bird once existed in Mauritius; the similarity of these bones to what the representations of the Dodo which I have seen would lead one to expect, particularly the breadth of the pelvis, the stoutness of the tibie and tarsi, and the shortness of the latter; the favourable nature of the spot in which they were found for the haunts of such birds when living—a sheltered hollow with two springs in it; the non-existence, actual or traditional, in Mauritius of any bird to which bones such as these could have belonged; the indubitable antiquity of these bones, proved by the deposit of alluvium which covered them. “During nearly thirty years that I have inhabited this colony, I have made frequent inquiries of old people as to the finding of the bones of large birds, and have offered liberal H 2 52 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE rewards for such; and I have consulted with the late Dr. Ayres as to the spots most likely to contain them. We agreed that the floods which sweep the hill-sides and the ravines in the rainy season would be most likely to carry any remains into the sea; and this would doubtless have been the case here, but for the stoppage occasioned by the sand-down. (Signed) “Grorce Crark. 1865.” The above “ Statement” was authenticated by the following testimony :— “Having visited the place with Mr. Clark, I can vouch for the truth of the facts herein mentioned. (Signed) “ WitiiaM THoMAS BaNKs, “* Civil Chaplain, Mauritius.” “The Rev. W. T. Banks, Civil Chaplain at Mahébourg, in this diocese, and Mr. George Clark, Master of the Government School at Mahébourg, are well known to me, and deserving implicit credit for their statements as to matters of fact. (Signed) “Vincent N. Mauritius. Oct. 6, 1865.” § 2. Description of the Bones. The bones of the Dodo (Didus ineptus, Linn.) discovered by Mr. Clark, under the above circumstances, which have reached me up to the present date (December 20th, 1865) are the following :— Name. Number of bones or parts. Cranium and lower jaw, in parts .........secseeceeesoves 14 Wertebreeamd pelvis: cccenseeseereeepeomoseste (tees ere 30 RAS ccdaeses cdates cate doce see sianies seeaieeaaadeatitiec see terran. 22 Stern: sess cece scene cacteocbae See eect em sea ns ania eae see meena 2 ; Scapular arch, in parts .......csssscssceseeccsseseeceescnes 7 MUMerus, Ulnas rads) sar eeekeeeeecearsostvastecrecces tna 6 BEMOTA fans snp ee cecio cose coppeeh ection ie picesnels reat smnershte 5 PDI Soacccceecvatar seth Ser apeiemese site scce ons sclosememne seni 6 Pi ullée x, co.cc ace sae sncines viesslettsaceaeeniteat los eaen seamen reret 4 Metatarsals' <>..sccasenecrns causioreneece sce dene ense aise eta tits 4 Total number of parts of skeleton of the Dodo ............ 100 The known characters of the skull and metatarsus of the Didus ineptus served to identify those bones as belonging to that species: the agreement in relative size, colour, condition, and locality left no room for hesitation in referring the other bones in the above list to the same species'. They belong, however, to four or five individuals 1 So determined, subsequent sets of bones transmitted from the Mauritius, and from which I was privileged to select the most perfect specimens for the present memoir, got into the market and were sold by auction since the present memoir was in type, as bones of the Dodo. Ihave to express my sincere and grateful acknowledgements to those gentlemen into whose hands these lots have fallen, who have forborne their own advantage and refrained from rushing into print with figures from inferior specimens to anticipate the appearance of a memoir notified OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 53 varying somewhat in size. With the bones of the Dodo were the end of the lower jaw of a broad-billed Parrot, two bones (radius) of a small Mammal, and part of the skull of a large Tortoise’. To the description of the Dodo’s bones I now proceed. § 2. Vertebre. The dorsal vertebre are chiefly represented, in this series of bones, by three which are anchylosed together by their bodies and neural arches (Pl. XVII. figs. 1-5) : the posterior articular surface of the body of the last of these vertebre (ib., fig. 4, ¢) is subquadrate, longer in the vertical than the transverse direction, concave vertically, convex trans- versely, almost fitting, but being rather too small for, the anterior articular surface of the body of the first of the sacral series (Pl. XIX. fig. 1, ¢). The difference is such as to indicate that only one dorsal vertebra may have intervened; and I conclude that the last of the three coalesced vertebre is the penultimate dorsal. The anterior arti- cular surface of the foremost of the three (Pl. XVI. fig. 1, ¢) is 11 lines in transverse, and 4 to 5 lines in vertical diameter: it is concave transversely for the middle three- fifths, and convex transversely at the two outer fifths of its extent: it is more or less convex vertically throughout its extent. The bodies of these vertebra are compressed and wedged-shaped, slightly expanded at their coalesced. ends, produced below into subquadrate hypapophyses in the first and second (Pl. XVII. fig. 1, hy); while this process is restricted to the fore part (ib. hy 3), or may be represented only by a slight anterior production of the lower edge of the wedge, in the third (ib. fig. 5, hy 3). (in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society,’ January 9th, 1866) as destined “to be published entire in the Society’s Transactions,” and therefore necessarily awaiting the lithographing of “ illustrations,” which every true promoter of science for its own sake must have desired to see as complete as the best-selected materials would permit to be given.—R. O., June 1866. 1 Tn the quaint print, in folio 3, of the “ Narration Historique du Voiage faict par les huict Navires d’Am- sterdam au mois de Mars l’An 1598, soubs la conduitte de l’admiral Jaques Corneille Necq,” &c., the first- named object, No 1, “ Sont Tortues qui se tiennent sur l’haut pays, frustez d’aisles pour nage, de telle grandeur, qwils chargent ung homme et rampent encore fort roidement, prennent aussi des Ecriuisses de la grandeur d’un pied qu’ils mengent. 2. Est ung oiseau, par nous nommé Oiseaw de Nausée, 4 Vinstar dune Higne, ont le cul rond, couvert de deux ou trois plumettes crespues, carent des aisles, mais en lieu d’icelles ont ilz trois ow quatre plumettes noires, des susdicts oiseaux ayons nous prins une certaine quantité, accompaigné d’aucunes tourturelles et autres oiseaux, qui par noz compaignons furet prins, la premiere fois qu’il arrivoyent au pays, pour chercher la plus profonde et plus fraische Riviere, et si les navires y pourroyent estre sauyez, et retour- nerent d’une grande joye, distribuant chasque navire, de leur Venoison prins, dont nous partismes le lendemain vers le port, fournismes chasque nayire d’un Pilote de ceux qui au paravant y avoyent esté, avons cuict cest oiseau, estoit si coriace que ne le povions asses boviller, mais l’avons mengé a demy cru. Si tost qu’arrivames au port, enyoya le Vice-Admiral nous, ayecq une certaine troupe au pays, pour trouver aucun peuple, mais n’ont trouyé personne, que des Tourturelles et autres en grande abondance, lesquels nous prismes et tuames, car yeu qu’il n’y eust personne qui les effraia, n’avoient ilz de nous nulle crainte, tindret lieu, se laisserent assomer. En some c’est un pays abodant en poisso et oiseaux, voire tellemet qu’il excella tous les autres audit voyage.” —Le Second Livre de la Navigation des Indes Orientales, fol., 1601, 54 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE ‘The hypapophysis of the first of the three expands at its termination (Pl. XVI. fig. 1, hy), with the hinder angle bent back to coalesce with the front one of the next hypapo- physis, which is somewhat longer, and bent forward with a similar terminal expansion : a full elliptical space is intercepted by this terminal confluence of these hypapophyses (Pl. XVII. figs. 1 & 5, hy). Each vertebra shows an elliptical articular cavity (ib. figs. 1 & 5, p, ps) for the head of the rib, near to the anterior articular surface; the long axis of this costal surface is directed from above obliquely downward and forward. The surface of the rib’s tubercle cuts obliquely the lower part of the free end of the dia- pophysis (Pl. XVI. fig. 1, d). The neural arch circumscribes a canal the anterior outlet of which (ib. fig. 1, 2) is oval with the small end downward, 5 lines in vertical, and 53 in transverse diameter: the sides of the neural canal slightly project inward above the lower third: the posterior outlet (Pl. XVII. fig. 4, 2) is more regularly elliptical in form, and rather narrower in proportion to its vertical diameter. The neurapophysis sends off from the outer and fore part of its base a stout process, which expands and divides into zygapophyses (PI. XVI. fig. 1, z) and diapophyses (ib. d); the articular surface of the former is of a full oval shape, flat, looking obliquely upward and inward; the diapophyses extend outward and a little backward: the articular surface for the tubercle of the rib is transversely elliptical and nearly flat. The hinder part of the neurapophysis expands into the postzygapophyses: these have coalesced with the praezygapophyses in the suc- ceeding vertebra (Pl. XVII. fig. 2, z), as has happened also between this and the third vertebra. In the last of the three vertebre the postzygapophyses are entire (ib. z3), and show very slightly concave, oval articular surfaces, looking obliquely downward and outward (ib. fig. 4, z). The conjugational foramina, continuously surrounded by bone, are a full ellipse, and large, the anterior one (ib. figs. 1 & 5, f) being 54 lines in vertical diameter; the second (ib. f') is somewhat less: these foramina are also rather larger in one of the specimens than in the other. The length of the three coalesced dorsals is the same in both, viz. 2 inches 3 lines. The neural spines have run together into a con- tinuous ridge in fig. 1, ms; in fig. 5 the summit is broken off in both, leaving only the anterior angle of the foremost entire; in both this inclines forward; the hinder border of the third vertebra (fig. 1, ns) has the same vertical parallel as the back part of the centrum. ‘The anterior margin of the base of the spine shows a rough surface for the attachment of ligament (Pl. XVI. fig. 1, ms). A small foramen behind the base of each of the coalesced zygapophyses (Pl. XVII. fig. 2, z z) leads to a canal descending to the neural one, and indicates superiorly the limits of the otherwise continuously ossified neural arches. In the series of detached vertebre, one (Pl. XVII. fig. 6 & 7) indicates by its neural spie and hypapophysis a position at the base of the neck. The centrum is barely an inch in length ; its anterior surface (ib. fig. 7, c) is narrow vertically, broad transversely ; both fore and hind surfaces indicate freedom and extent of flexure. The hypapophysis OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 55 has a broad, bituberculate base (ib. hy), but is limited in fore and aft extent to the middle third of the under surface of the centrum: its length is shown in fig. 6, hy. The parapophysis (fig. 7, p) is slender, and expands at both attachments, with an indication of a terminal surface. The diapophysis (d) has a larger costal surface: it sends for- ward a convex ridge midway between the di- and zygapophysis (z). The neural canal (fig. 7, n) has wider and more fully elliptical outlets than the hinder dorsal vertebre, in relation to the greater extent of motion at the fore part of the series. I conclude that a free pleurapophysis (p/) existed, indicating the present to be the first of the dorsal series, as shown in Pl. XV. The neural spine is short, broad, obtusely pointed, with a vertically oblong syndesmotic surface (fig. 7) before and behind. Each postzygapophysis (fig. 6, z!) supports an anapophysial tubercle (a). A cervical vertebra from a position just in advance of the above has lost the neural spine, but retains the hypapophysis. This process (ib. figs. 8 & 9, hy) is compressed and directed obliquely downward and forward for an extent of 6 lines; the extremity is rounded: the length of the centrum of this vertebra is 1 inch 3 lines; the anterior articular surface is longest transversely, and concave in that direction, convex vertically ; the proportions and curvatures are transposed in the posterior surface (fig. 9, ¢). The parapophysis (ib. p) is continued from the anterior border of the centrum to the middle; it is a depressed plate, confluent with the rib (ib. d). The diapophysis forms a short, obtuse projection above its anchylosis with the rib (ib. pl): this projects backward 7 lines in length, terminating obtusely, and circumscribing a ver- tebrarterial foramen (ib. v) of a full elliptic shape, 54 lines in long diameter. The surfaces of the preezygapophyses (z) are larger, and look more upward and less inward, than in the preceding and the dorsal vertebrae: they are very slightly concave. ‘Those of the postzygapophyses (fig. 8, 2’), with a downward and slightly outward aspect, are in a similar degree convex. The neural canal, as usual in the cervical series, expands at its outlets, most so posteriorly (fig. 9, n); the middle of the upper surface of the neural arch is impressed by an elliptical, rough, ligamentous surface, which slightly rising in the middle is the sole indication of a neural spine. The upper surface of each postzygapophysis developes a tuberous anapophysis (figs. 8 & 9, a). The three cervicals that succeed the axis show progressively sinking neural spines, which subside in the six following vertebre (Pl. XV.). The third cervical has also the hypapophysis (Pl. XXIII. fig. 3, hy). In all the other cervicals of the present series the hypapophysis is wanting, but each parapophysis developes a plate (Pl. XVII. figs. 10 & 11, Pl. XX. fig. 1, p) to form the sides of the hemal canal through which the carotids ran; and the position of such yer- tebree in the cervical series is indicated, respectively, by the degree of convergence of . these processes, in none of which, where entire, have they met so as to circumscribe the canal: in some of these vertebra, however, they are mutilated. They differ chiefly in the position and shape of the anapophyses (fig. 10, @), which advance from above the 56 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE postzygapophyses (z'), converging towards the middle of the upper surface of the neural arch, being arrested, save in one instance, at the sides of the ligamentous surface occupying the common position of the base of the neural spine. In the axis vertebra (Pl. XVII. figs. 12 & 13) the posterior articular surface, concave vertically, and 3 lines in that extent at its middle part, is very convex transversely, being continued upon the sides of the posterior part of the centrum; a thick obtuse hyp- apophysis (fig. 13, hy) descends below this surface: the anterior or odontoid surface presents the usual form in birds; the odontoid process (ib. z) has a pit at its apex. The prezygapophyses (fig. 12, z), of very small size, project from the outer and fore border of the neural arch, with their articular surface looking outward and slightly upward; a ridge is continued from their back part to the base of the postzygapo- physes: the surface (fig. 13, z') in these, 43 lines in long diameter, is three times the size of the anterior one; it is concave transversely, and looks downward and a little out- ward. The anapophyses (ib. fig. 12, @) are large tubercles rising above the articular surfaces. The base of the neural spine, 9 lines in length (ib. ms), is coextensive with the neural arch; the spine rises posteriorly to a height of 6 lines, with a thickness of 2 lines, having a convex upper margin (Pl. XV.). The relative size and position of the cervical vertebra, as coadjusted in the position and degree of flexure of the neck represented in Sir Hans Sloane's life-size painting of the Dodo, in the British Museum, are given in Plate XV. with the varying proportions of the pleurapophyses and other processes. § 3. Rids. (Plates XV. & XVI.) The specimens of ribs include both vertebral and sternal portions; that which appears to be the second or third on the right side (Pl. XVI. figs. 7, 7 @) is 4 inches 4 lines in length (following the outer curve), and expands to a breadth of 7 lines at its lower part; the interval between the articular surfaces of the head and tubercle is 6 lines. The appendage (ib. a) has coalesced with the middle of the hind margin of the shaft. The neck is compressed, with a thin upper margin; the lower one is continued with a curve upon a strong internal buttress-like ridge (ib. 6), which runs to near the fore part of the flattened body of the rib, where it meets the ridge continued from the tubercle, about 2 inches down the rib: there is a shallow channel between these ridges, contracting to their confluence. The inner surface of the rib is impressed by a deeper and broader channel behind the buttress: the posterior border expands in in the form of a triangular plate, with a base of about an inch in extent, due to the complete confluence there of the epipleural process. ‘The anterior border is thicker, and isalmost straight. Towards the sternal end the pleurapophysis contracts and thickens, terminating in a rough syndesmotic elliptical surface, 3 lines by 2 (fig. 7,/), for the at- tachment of the hemapophysis or sternal rib. A vertebral rib (ib, fig. 2) which is entire, measures 9 inches in Jength (following the OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 57 outer curve). The head and tubercle are at the same distance as in the preceding, but the tubercle is broader. ‘The characters of the body of the rib are very similar; but it is narrower, not attaining a breadth of 5} lines at its lower end; the narrowing and thickening to the articular surface for the sternal rib is more gradual. A last vertebral rib is adapted, by the longitudinal extent and partial division of the tubercle, to the vertebra which forms the first of the coalesced series of sacrals ; and the body of the rib, instead of preserving the regular outward curve of the antecedent ones, is more suddenly bent soon after it emerges beyond the margin of the ilium; the lamelliform part thence continued is straighter, and, moreover, shows upon its outer surface a flattened facet, indicative of pressure or friction by the movements to and fro of the thigh over a rib in such position. Beyond this surface the rib curves in a way not shown in the other specimens; the distal end has the flat syndesmotic articular surface to which had been attached a hemapophysis not reaching the sternum. In this last (eighth) free rib there is no epipleural process, nor any definitely marked liga- mental surface on the posterior margin indicative of the attachment of such process. The body of a posterior vertebral rib (Pl. XVI. fig. 10) shows a fracture which has been healed, with some irregular ossific deposit on the inner surface. All the ribs have a pneumatic foramen (ib. figs. 2, 7, 8 p) at the fore part of the neck, near the base of the tubercle. The eight left vertebral ribs (Pl. XV.) and the five right ones do not, either of them, constitute a consecutive series. but have come from different individuals, of different sizes, as exemplified in the third rib figured in Plates XV. and XVI. The sternal ribs (Pl. XVI. figs. 5 & 12) are characterized by the two facets, nearly or quite meeting at an open angle, into which their sternal end expands (ib. fig. 3, ¢). One of these ribs, which is entire, shows the single, elliptic syndesmotic surface at the opposite end (ib. 4); it is 3} inches in length, with a greatest breadth of 45 lines, and is straight. Another and longer specimen (ib. 12) shows a moderate degree of curvature. A third specimen is 6 inches in length: the proximal end has a breadth of nearly half an inch (the penultimate rib in Pl. XV.). Five successive sternal ribs are indicated by gradational size and curvature, and a sixth, which does not reach the sternum. Before describing this bone I shall proceed with the account of the sacral vertebrae, and the expanded hemal arches of such as complete the pelvis. § 4. Pelvis, (Plates XV. & XIX.) The pelvis of the Dodo is chiefly remarkable for the flatness and great breadth of the posterior half, corresponding with the characteristic proportions of that part of the body in the old woodcuts of the Dutch ‘“‘ Dodaersen”'. It includes sixteen coalesced sacral vertebrae, with which the iliac bones are continuously confluent. 1 See, especially, Bontekoe’s figure, copied by Strickland, in the title-page and at p. 63 of the above-cited work, VOL. VI.—PART Il. I 58 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE The first sacral shows the transversely extended and concave articular surface of the centrum (Pl. XIX. fig. 1, ¢); the subcircular pit (ib. p) for the head of the rib is behind the middle of the side of the centrum, at its upper part; the inferior surfiice is ridged lengthwise; and a transverse low but sharp ridge defines the posterior boundary, the depressions in front of which indicate the hindmost origins of the subyertebral muscle (longus colli?). The anterior outlet of the neural canal (ib. 2) is subcircular in one spe- cimen, vertically elliptic in others, and 3 lines or less in transverse diameter. From the sides of the neurapophyses stretch out the strong buttresses of bone which blend with the under part of the ilia, giving off from the fore part of their base the preezygapophyses (ib. z), and from the back part of their apex the surface (ib. d), or part of it, for the tubercle of the last moveable rib, the ilium in the latter variety affording the rest of that surface. ‘The fore part of the strong neural spine (ib. ms) is roughened by a syn- desmotic surface ; it rises to a height of 14 lines, curving forward, and is confluent at its summit with the approximated anterior margins of the ilia. A continuous track of bone, forming a smoothly obtuse longitudinal ridge, represents the summits of the succeeding sacral spines (ib. fig. 2, 2s) to the hindmost vertebra of the series, without any trace of their primitive division; but this track rises, posteriorly, above the shallow channel on each side, in which are the foramina (ib. 0), indicating most of the constituent vertebre. The second sacral vertebra abuts against the ilium by a pleurapophysis (ib. fig. 1, pl2), as well as a diapophysis (ib. d2); but the former is a slender, straight filament, or narrow plate of bone, confluent at both ends. In the next two vertebre the pleurapophysis (ib. p/3&4) assumes more breadth and robustness, but is short and straight, abutting against the inner surface of the ilium an inch in advance of the acetabulum. ‘The first of these rib-buttresses inclines forward, and is completely confluent with the ilium; the thicker one (ib. p/ 4) has retaimed part of its primitive ligamentous attachment to the ilium: the proportions of both are sub- ject to some variety. These are succeeded by three or four vertebra in which the pleurapophysis is not de- veloped, the attachment to the ilia being by diapophyses only (ib. d d), which are short slender lamellee, directed upward and backward ; below and between them are the double orifices for the separate motory and sensory roots of the sacro-spinal nerves. In the next vertebra the pleurapophysis (ib. p/ 8) reappears, longer but more slender than in the fourth sacral, extending obliquely backward, and expanding at its extremity to abut against a prominence on the underside of the ilium, opposite the hind part of the acetabulum, with which prominence the rib has completely coalesced by an expanded end. The under part of all these vertebra is traversed by a sharp median longitudinal ridge, which is more feebly and interruptedly continued to near the end of the sacral series. Eight vertebra, abutting by diapophyses only (ib. d d) against the ilia, succeed the one last described; their coalesced bodies are less than half the breadth of those of the OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 59 preceding vertebree: they gradually diminish in depth to the last, without loss of breadth. The diapophyses proceed obliquely outward and backward, are lamelliform, about 9 lines in length, and intercept oblong cavities of the same extent and direction, into which open the orifices (ib. fig. 2, 0) noticed on the upper surface of that part of the pelvis. The articular surface of the body of the last sacral is transversely elliptic, 4 lines by 2 lines, and very slightly convex. ‘The outlet of the neural canal, above it, is circular, and about a line in diameter, the whole vertical extent of the last sacral being 5 lines, while that of the first sacral is 2 inches 2 lines. The ilium is divided, as usual, into two parts by the ridge on its upper or outer surface (ib. fig. 2, 7), extending obliquely backward to behind the acetabulum—the an- terior division being narrower and concave, the posterior broader and convex but in a minor degree. The anterior (slightly thickened) border of the ilium is curved with the convexity forward, extending 8 or 9 lines in advance of the fore part of the neural spine of the first sacral vertebra. The ilia almost meet above that of the second and third sacrals, with which they coalesce, and then diverge to the oblique boundary ridge, which is thence continued, in some with an angular bend, more directly outward. At this angle the bone is so confluent with the sacrum that the orifices leading to the ileoneural canals’ are almost or quite obliterated. These canals are, here (ib. ¢ 7), the longitudinally extended cavities intercepted between the fore parts of the ilia and the continuous coalesced sacral spines and diapophyses, widening to their anterior outlets. The extent of that part of the ilium in advance of the acetabulum is 3 inches 8 lines; the breadth at its middle part is 2 inches. As the ilium approaches the acetabulum it increases in thickness, and is grooved at the outer margin by a vessel which leaves impressions of its ramifications upon the upper concave surface of the bone (ib. fig. 2, 62). The acetabulum (ib. @ @) is cir- cular, 11 lines in the diameter of its outlet, 9 or 10 lines in that of its inner circum- ference, being widely open, as usual in birds, towards the cavity of the pelvis; the tro- chanterian surface (ib. ¢ ¢) above the acetabulum is elliptic, with the long axis length- wise, 9 lines by 6 in its diameter, with its upper border sharp and produced; the anterior border (ib. 4) of the acetabulum is slightly produced ; the position of this ar- ticular cavity is about midway between the fore and hind ends of the pelvis. The oblique external ridge of the ilium terminates in the outer margin of the broader part of the bone (ib. 7’), 7 lines above the sharp and prominent margin of the trochanterian surface (ib. ¢). The ilia have diverged from each other for the extent of an inch and a half behind the beginning of the boundary line (ib. 7), which interval is occupied ex- teriorly by lateral ossification from the neural spines to the diapophyses of that part of the sacrum: the mesial borders of the ilia (ib. fig. 2, 62’) slightly converge to the fifteenth sacral vertebra, where they are separated by an interspace of 1 inch, and then again diverge to the last sacral; they coalesce with the diapophyses (ib. fig. 2 d d). * Owen, ‘Anatomy of Vertebrates,’ 1866, vol. ii. p. 32. 12 60 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE The inner or under surface of the ilium is thickened into a kind of buttress (ib. fig. 1, e), terminating behind the ischiadic foramen. The breadth of the iliac bones and inter- vening sacrals, 1 inch behind the acetabulum, is 5 inches; at the back part of the pelvis it is 4 inches. The outer border of the posterior part of the ilium (ib. fig. 2, g) projects as an obtuse ridge above the ischiadic foramen and the succeeding expanded and confluent part of the ischium (ib. 63), which is vertically concave externally: the ilium, ischium, and pubis (ib. fig. 1, 64) have completely coalesced around the aceta- bulum. The pubis, which in this part is 7 lines thick, contracts as it becomes free to a diameter of 4 lines; it is smooth and convex below, and has been broken off near the acetabulum on both sides; the fracture shows its pneumatic structure. The ischium, as it recedes from the acetabulum, contracts to a trihedral column, with a vertical dia- meter of 4 lines; it is concave outwardly, convex inwardly, and suddenly expands below, about an inch from the acetabulum, to form part of the posterior boundary of the obturator foramen (ib. fig. 1, f), which is 9 lines in length, and is situated one half in advance of, and the other half beneath, the ischiadic foramen (ib. m). This latter is oval, with the large end forwards, 1 inch 3 lines by 10 lines in its principal dia- meters. Behind this foramen the ischium is confluent with the ilum for an extent of 2 inches, or perhaps rather more, as the posterior margin of the pelvis is not entire in any of my specimens. The inner surface of the ischium forms a low, obtuse longitu- dinal ridge towards the pelvic cavity, losing thickness as it recedes from the acetabulum. The chief pneumatic foramina in the pelvis are on the inner surface, above the aceta- bulum, behind the trochanterian articulation, and behind the iliac confluence of the last sacral pleurapophyses,—also at the hinder part of the ilium, on each side of the transverse buttress (ib. @) near its posterior junction with the ischium. ‘The prerenal fossa (be- tween pl 4 & pl 8, fig. 1) is deep and subdivided by the diapophysial plates: the post- renal fossa is wide and shallow. § 5. Sternwm. Of this instructive and determinative bone there are two specimens, the one most entire (Pls. XV., XVI. fig. 4 4, & XVIII.) measuring in a straight line, from the costal process to the hind border, 7 inches. The extreme breadth between the lateral pro- cesses (Pl. XVI. h) is 4} inches; from this diameter the bone contracts anteriorly to a breadth of 35 inches at the costal processes (ib. d), and posteriorly it contracts more rapidly to an obtuse, horizontally flattened apex (Pl. XVIII. fig. 3). The anterior border of the sternum (Pl. XVI. fig. 4.) is widely and rather deeply emarginate at the middle (e), less deeply so on each side: the breadth of the mid notch (4 ¢ d) is 1 inch 9 lines, that of each side notch (6 d) is 1 inch 2 lines. The sternum is deeply hollowed above (Pl. XXIII. fig. 4), correspondingly convex beneath (ib.); the keel (s) is low and thick, commencing by a pair of broad obtuse ridges (Pls. XVI. fig. 4, & XVII. fig. 1, 7 7) from the mesial ends of the outer walls of the coracoid grooves OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 61 (ib. 6’), which gradually rise from the surface of the bone as they extend backward, con- verging to form the beginning of the keel about 2 inches from the anterior emargina- tion (e): the keel gains a depth of # of an inch at the middle of the sternum, then gradually sinks to the level of the bone, as it extends backward, at 14 inch from the hind end (Pl. XVIII. fig. 5), a little increasing in thickness as it subsides: its free border describes a pretty regular convex curve (Pl. XV.); it is thick, flat, partially canaliculate: the sides of the base of the keel expand, to be continued gradually into the body of the sternum (Pl. XXIII. fig. 4). Behind the costal surface (PI. XVIII. c), on each side, extends a lamelliform process (Pls. XV. & XVIII. A), an inch in breadth, upward and a little outward, slightly expanding to its free termination, which, however, is not entire in either specimen: the longitudinal extent of this characteristic process, where it is best preserved, is 1 inch; it is conjecturally restored in Plate XV. ; it answers to the ectolateral process (h) of the gallinaceous sternum (Pls. X. & XIV. fig. 3): there is no trace of an entolateral process (ib. 7). The thin margin of the Dodo’s breast- bone, behind the ectolateral process (Pls. XV. & XVIII. h), is entire and uninterrupted to the obtuse apex, and the body of the sternum is imperforate: the notch (f) behind the process (i) represents the ectolateral notch of the gallinaceous sternum (Pl. XXIV. figs. 1 & 3, f'). The costal border (Pl. XVIII. fig. 2, ¢) is 1 inch 9 lines in extent, and 6 lines across its broadest part; it shows articular surfaces for five sternal ribs, of which the four posterior (2-5) are bilobed, the anterior one (¢ 1) simple, and limited to the outer half of the border; the second sternum shows some variety in this respect: the deep interspaces, in both, are perforated by pneumatic foramina. ‘The costal process (d)' in advance of these surfaces expands, as it rises upward and a little outward and forward, to the extent of nearly an inch; the hinder and outer side is impressed by a concavity, continued from the costal border; the inner side is smooth and convex: it is not quite entire on either side. The coracoid grooves (Pl. XVI. fig. 4, 2 0') are small in proportion to the sternum, and are divided from each other by an interspace of about an inch; the outer wall of the groove (4’), 9 lines in extent, is moderately produced and convex; it appears to be a continuation of one of the initial ridges (7) of the keel: the inner wall of the groove (4) is deeper, and is formed by the obtuse angle of the anterior border of the sternum, between the medial and lateral emarginations. External to each coracoid groove is a large elliptical pneumatic foramen (p) or depression. There is no epi- sternal process. On the convex outer surface of the body of the sternum the “ pectoral ” ridge (Pl. XVIII. fig. 1, £)’ is feebly indicated, extending from the outer end of the coracoid groove backward and inward to near the posterior third of the keel. The con- cave surface of the sternum (ib. fig. 2) shows a number of small pneumatic foramina, chiefly along the middle line to near the posterior third. Behind the costal border the 1 Called “ hyosternal ” in the Geoffroyan determination of parts of the bird’s sternum. 2 The intermuscular ridges (¢ pectoral,’ ‘subcostal,’ carinal’) are, with other parts of the bird’s sternum, . here named as defined in my ‘ Anatomy of Vertebrates,’ vol. iil. pp. 16-23. 62 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE substance of the sternum gradually increases in thickness from the sharp lateral margins to the middle, above the base of the keel, and shows there a fine pneumocancellous texture (Pl. XXIII. fig. 4). § 6. Scapular Arch. (Plates XV. & XX.) This consists of the scapula (Pl. XX. figs. 6, 7, 8 & 9, s:), coracoid (ib. figs. 4 & 5, sz), and clavicle (ib. ss), the latter ending in a point and here tied by ligament to its fellow, to form afurculum. I have received the elements of this arch in three conditions :—one in which the bones, though of full size, are separate; a second, in which the scapula and coracoid are confluent, but the clavicle distinct; a third, in which the three bones are confluent at the ends converging to the humeral articulation. The scapula (ib. figs. 6 & 7,8& 9, 51), 5 inches 7 or 8 lines in length, has the usual sabre-shaped body, slightly expanding and decurved at its free extremity, the breadth of which is 7 lines: it terminates ob- tusely: varieties of shape are shown in figures 6 & 8. The outer surface of the bone, at the two posterior thirds of its extent, is slightly concave and marked by muscular attachments; the inner surface of that part is smooth and slightly convex: the bone increases in breadth, with some diminution of thickness, towards the articular end, and is remarkable for sending off from the lower border, at 7 or 8 lines from that end, a short process (ib. 51); between -this process and the articulation the breadth of the bone is little more than 3 lines; the breadth of the articular end is 9 lines. Nearly one-half of it is occupied by the almost flat, subcircular humeral surface (fig. 8, a), with a diameter of 43 lines, and directed upward, outward, and a little forward. From this is continued an oblong, much narrower coracoidal surface, beyond which the acromial pro- cess (fig. 6, ¢) extends forward, curving toward the coracoid, and terminating obtusely. The coracoid (ib. figs. 4, 5, 8 & 9, 52), averaging a length of 3 inches 7 lines, expands to a breadth of 1 inch 3 lines at its sternal end (52), of which the articular surface (e) occupies an inch ; the non-articular part forms the outer angle (m), and extends in advance of the pneumatic foramen (Pl. XVI. fig. 4, ») at that part of the breast-bone: the outer border which extends from this free angle to the body of the bone, into which it subsides, at one-third of the extent of the bone, is sharp; the inner border is obtuse to near the, inner angle (Pl. XX. figs. 4 & 5,). The outer surface of the expanded sternal end is smooth and convex; the inner surface is flatter and more irregular, perforated by pneumatic foramina; the diameter of the subcylindrical part of the shaft is 4 lines: the extremes of difference in the distal expansion of the coracoid are shown in figs. 4 & 8, 52, Pl. XX. A muscular ridge and rough surface (ib. fig. 9, 7) mark the back part below the middle of the shaft. The bone then expands to its upper articular end, which is obliquely truncate from within outward: it shows, first, the oblong surface for the scapula, which is extended upon the inner prominence of that end; next, the larger and full oval surface for the humerus (/), from which the thick, obtuse, inner “continuation of the scapular end projects inward, forward, with a slightly upward curve, OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 63 and shows the narrow oblong surface for the articulation and ultimate confluence of the clavicle (58). The coracoid unites with the scapula at an angle of 100°. The clavicle (ib. figs. 4 & 5, 58), at its scapular end, is slightly expanded, compressed, with an obtuse recurved termination articulating with the above-named surface of the coracoid, and in one instance coalescing therewith, and by extended ossification with the ‘“‘acromion scapule”’ (ib. figs. 8 & 9). As the clavicle descends it curves slightly and contracts to a point. The angle at which the pair meet is shown in figs. 4 & 5. § 7. Bones of the Wing. (Pls. XV. & XX. figs. 12-17.) Of the humerus the series contains two specimens, both measuring 4 inches 3 lines in length, one right, and the other left (Pl. XX. figs. 12-14), but differing slightly in their proportions and in colour—one being of the olive-brown tint with which most of the bones are stained, the other black. ‘The articular head (ib. a) is an elongate oval con- vexity, with the larger end toward the radial side, prominent toward the back and rather flattened toward the front of the bone, which there swells out beyond the base of the articular surface. ‘The radial tubercle is small, and descends from the radiai end of the head for about 5 lines; the pectoral process (ib. 6) is triangular, obtuse, short, and bent, or directed toward the front side of the bone: the ulnar tuberosity (ib. c) is more produced in that direction ; it is oblong, obtuse, with its base impressed by a large pit both above (fig. 12, h) and below—the lower one (ib. 7) being the deepest, and perforated by a pneumatic foramen; the convex, broad, ulnar border of this tuberosity has two slightly produced processes, an upper or posterior (ib. fig. 12, ¢) and a lower and internal (ib. y), which is the smallest. The breadth of the proximal end of the humerus, across the tuberosities, is 1 inch 5 lines, beyond them the bone contracts to a smooth subcylin- drical shaft, showing at the back part of the proximal third a longitudinal ridge (fig. 12, 7), half an inch in length; it gradually expands at the distal third to a breadth of 10 lines, where the articulations offer the usual avian characteristics of the elbow-joint. The head of the humerus is occupied by a fine cancellous structure: into the large vacuity below this, crossed in the section figured (Pl. XXIII. fig. 5) by a transverse slender bar of bone, the small pneumatic foramina at the bottom of the wide and deep fossa for the axillary air-cell open. The part of the hollow proximal end giving off the pectoral and other processes for the attachment of muscles is strengthened by similar abutments. The pneumatic cavity of the main part of the shaft of the humerus is simple, with a compact wall thicker than at the ends of the humerus, but not exceeding that which is characteristic of the long air-bones in birds. The portion of the distal end chiefly serving for muscular attachments and the antibrachial articulation are also cancellous. The radius (Pls. XV. & XX. fig. 15) is a straight and slender bone, 3 inches 1 line in in length, and 2 lines in chief diameter of the shaft. The proximal articular surface is subcircular, 3 lines in diameter, moderately concave ; the distal end expands to the same extent, but is compressed, as usual. 64 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE The ulna (Pls. XV. & XX. figs. 16 & 17) is 3 inches 1 line in length, of the usual ornithic character, with a well-defined, narrow, elliptic, rough muscular depression, 8 lines in length (fig. 16, c), extending upon the shaft from below the anterior or palmar angle of the proximal articular surface. This bone has no pneumatic foramen; the orifice for the medullary artery is above the middle of the same palmar surface, the canal inclining distad. The shaft of the bone is nearly straight; the back or anconal surface, which is slightly convex, shows feeble impressions of the attaching ligaments of the alar plumes, which are represented in all the figures of the entire or living bird. A second ulna is 3 inches 3 lines in length. There was no carpal or pinion bone in the collection of remains submitted to me: this part of the wing is conjecturally restored in dotted outline in Plate XV. § 8. Bones of the Leg. (Pls. XV., XXI., XXIL & XXIII). Of the five femora in the above defined series of remains of the Dodo, two measure 6 inches 3 lines in length; one (Pl. XXI.) is 6 inches 4} lines; the shortest is a little under 6 inches, with proportionate differences in the diameter of the shaft. All of them show a small pneumatic foramen (Pl. XXI. figs. 1 & 2, p) on the inner side of the anterior ridge of the great trochanter (ib. ¢), and on the same transverse line with the head of the bone. ‘This*part shows an oblong depression (ib. figs. 2 & 3, a) for the “ligamentum teres” at the upper and back part. The articular surface on the same aspect of the neck (ib. fig. 3, 6), adapted to the trochanterian prominence of the pelvis (Pl. XIX. 7), is well-defined. The trochanter (Pl. X XI. fig. 1, ¢) rises, ridge-like, above the level of the head, and is continued from behind the middle of the articular surface on the neck, forward, with a convex outline upon the fore and outer part of the shaft, where it gra- dually subsides ; a narrow intermuscular ridge (ib. fig. 1, 7), inclining to the middle of the fore part of the shaft, is continued from the trochanterian one. The small tro- chanter (ib. fig. 3, d) is a small subcircular tuberosity, in some specimens a ridge, 3 to 4 lines in length, on the inner side of the shaft, about an inch below the head. ‘The muscular impressions on the fore part of the bone are well defined. A minute medul- lary canal (ib. fig. 8, m) perforates the middle of the back part of the shaft; the popliteal fossa (ib. fig. 3, 0) shows a few small pneumatic orifices; a triangular rough flat surface divides the fossa from the outer condyle. Above the fibular depression (ib. fig. 3, g) there is a well-defined, slightly raised, rough surface (ib. /) for the head of the ectogastrocnemius muscle. ‘The ridge (ib. m) extending to the back part of the inner condyle is not sharp; the rotular groove (ib. fig. 1, p) is deep and moderately wide, with the inner boundary, formed by the narrow anterior part of the inner condyle (ib. fig. 5, ¢), most produced. The breadth of this end of the longer femora is 1 inch 9 lines; the character of the distal articular surface is shown in Pl. XXI. fig. 6. The head, neck, and great trochanter (Pl. XXIII. fig. 6) are occupied by a pneumatic cancellous structure, with a thin compact wall on the upper part and sides: this begins OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 65 to gain thickness at the under part of the neck and at the lower and back part of the trochanter, the compact wall acquiring a thickness of a line at the beginning of the shaft, where the cancellous structure is confined to the outer side of the pneumatic cavity; this structure gives way to a few delicate filaments of bone crossing the cavity of the major part of the shaft, and is not resumed until the bone expands to form the distal condyles (ib. fig. 7). The five tidiew of Didus in the same collection range in length from 8 inches 8 lines to 9 inches. The procnemial ridge (Pl. XXII. figs. 1, 2, 4, p) is a triangular plate, with the base longest and the apex rounded off: it inclines outwardly, and does not extend much more than half an inch from the level of the proximal end of the bone: the length of its base rather exceeds an inch: on its inner side a triangular muscular surface is well defined by an irregular inferior line or ridge (ib. fig. 2,2). The ectocnemial process (ib. figs. 1, 3, 4, e) is thicker, shorter, and terminates roughly and obtusely. There is a low, narrow ridge (ib. fig. 2, 7), about half an inch in length, on the inner side of the proximal end of the shaft, beginning about 9 lines below the articular sur- face at that end. The fibular ridge (ib. figs. 1 & 3, 4), beginning 1 inch 8 lines from the proximal end, extends about 2 inches down the outer side of the shaft. The epi- cnemial ridge (ib. figs. 1 & 4, &) is obtuse, and but little produced above the upper articular surfaces or condyles (¢ d) of the tibia: the breadth of that end of the bone, in the longest specimen, is 2 inches 3 lines. The tendinal canal at the fore part of the distal end is bridged by bone (ib. fig. 1, 7), and is situated on the inner half of that aspect of the shaft; the lower opening is subcircular and close to the anterior end of the inner lower condyle (ib. @), which is more produced forward than the outer one (ib. 4). Their hind ends project very little beyond the level of that aspect of the shaft of the tibia. An intermuscular ridge (ib. fig. 1, 7) strengthens into a tuberosity (7’) at the inner side of the tendinal groove. t The cancellous structure in the tibia is limited to an extent of about half an inch below the proximal articular surfaces (Pl. XXIII. fig. 8), and to about an inch and a half from the distal end of the line (ib. fig. 9): the shaft is occupied by a large air-cavity, with a compact wall of half a line in thickness at the upper third, gradually increasing to about a line at the lower fourth, until the cancellous structure is reestablished; the transverse direction of a plate of this structure indicates the extent of the original distal epiphysis of the tibia (fig. 8). The fibula (Pl. XXII. figs. 6-8) presents the usual ornithic characters of the bone: it varies from 4 inches 4 lines to 4 inches 6 lines in length, with a greatest proximal breadth of 8 lines. No adequate gain would result from a detailed description or com- parison of this bone; and the rest of the bones of the foot have received every requisite attention in this way in the excellent work on the Dodo and its kindred, already quoted. A longitudinal section of the metatarsus, taken in the direction from side to side (Pl. XXIII. fig. 10), shows the loose cancellous texture of the common epiphysis of VOL. VI.—PART II. K 66 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE the three long metatarsals, and the remnant of their contiguous coalesced walls reduced to a thin lamella of bone. As the moiety of the bone figured is the posterior one (of the left metatarsus), the usual oblique position of the middle metatarsal (i7), with its proximal end nearer the back part and its distal end nearer the fore part of the coalesced series, produces a corresponding direction of the section, with narrowing and termination of the exposed part of the medullary canal about one-third from the distal end of that metatarsal. The medullary canal of the outer metatarsal (7v) is wider and descends lower before the breaking up of the inner surface into decussating lamelle or filaments, than that of the inner metatarsal (#7): the peripheral compact wall of the inner is twice the thickness of that of the outer metatarsal. I may remark that the more posterior position of the middle metatarsal at its proximal end, from which and the corresponding part of the common epiphysis the calcaneal process is developed, is related to the greater share taken by the middle toe in the act of walking and scratching. I will only remark that of the four metatarsals of as many Dodos in the present series, one exceeds by a line the length of that figured in plate xi. op. cif., and one falls short thereof to the same trifling amount. § 9. Skull. (Plates XV. & XXIII. fig. 1.) Of the skull of the Dodo, the series of bones transmitted to me include the cranial part with the detached upper mandibular bone (more or less mutilated) of two mature . birds, and the lower mandible of three individuals. In the latter the dentary elements (Pl. XXIII. fig. 1, 32), confluent at the “gonys,” are distinct from the hinder halves of the rami formed by the confluent, or perhaps connate, articular, surangular and an- gular elements (ib, 31): if the “splenial” were ever distinct, it has coalesced with the dentary, where its upper boundary is indicated by a linear groove or series of small foramina. In size, shape, and all other characters of these important evidences of the specific character of the remains from the Mahébourg morass’, they agree with those of Didus ineptus detailed in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ for January 11th, 1848 (part xvi. pp. 2-8), and in the work entitled “ The Dodo and its Kindred,” pp. 76-96. The occipital condyle (ib. 1) presents the same hemispheroid or reniform shape, with the median vertical notch or depression above. ‘The upper margin of the foramen mag- num is broad, as it were excised, with the sides slightly prominent. The superoccipital foramen is present in both specimens, as in the one originally described (Proc. Zool. Soc. part xvi. p. 2). This foramen also exists in Owls and Parrots, but not in all Pigeons; the Didunculus (Pl. XV. fig. 2) shows no trace of it; I have also failed to find it in the skull of a Crown-pigeon (Gowra coronata). The superoccipital ridge is defined by the subsidence of the surface beneath it being continued directly from the upper, almost flat, smooth surface of the cranium: the middle part of the ridge is more produced than 1 « Ta Mare aux Songes.” ee OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 67 the angles. In the great breadth of the occipital surface compared with its depth, in its flatness from side to side, and its aspect backward and a little upward, Didus most resembles Dinornis. The basioccipital curves downward, and unites with the basi- sphenoid in developing the pair of larger tuberosities (Pl. XXIII. fig. 1, 5), which ter- minate about 3 an inch below the occipital condyle. There is nothing of this structure in the Columbine cranium. In one of my Dodo's skulls there is a pair of small tubercles between the larger basioccipital ones; these are not developed in the other cranium. The basisphenoid is subquadrate, and flattish below, impressed by a shallow median longitudinal channel. The hypoglossal nerve escapes by two small foramina on each side of the base of the condyle; external to these is the vagal foramen; still more external is the depression (ib. a) perforated below by the entocarotid, glossopharyngeal, and sympathetic, above by the tympanic vein. The entocarotid canal opens into the hind part of the sella or pituitary fossa: the vagal canal begins within the skull, above the hypoglossal foramina. The paroccipital carries the posterior surface of the skull downward and outward to a much greater degree than in any Dove, but to a less degree than in Dinornis. The Eustachian tubes impress the outer and fore part of the basisphenoid. The temporal fosse (Pl. XV.), in the present specimens, show the same contraction in proportion to their depth by which the original skull of the Dodo, compared with that of the Dinornis, * Proc. Zool. Soc.’ (1848, p. 3), differed from the larger extinct wingless bird. In the approximation of the postorbital process to the mastoid, Didunculus shows a closer resemblance to Didus than does Goura, in which the temporal fossa, besides being narrow, is shallow. The temporal muscle appears to spread its origin above the fossa upon the sides of the cranium, forward half an inch in advance of the postfrontal process, and backward to the outer angle of the superoccipital ridge. The parietal region is broad, flat, and short, as in Dinornis, not convex as in Doves ; it is also impressed at its middle part by a shallow transverse groove, continued out- ward and forward of less depth and definition, so as to mark off the convex interorbital part of the swollen frontals. The outer side of the mastoid is convex, smooth, overhanging the tympanic cavity, and sending off a short process, the base of which is defined in one cranium by a trans- verse ridge in front of the anterior articular cup for the tympanic bone. A similar process is developed in Didunculus, not in Gowra, where it is barely indicated. The presphenoid is compressed, but thickened and rounded below, where the pala- tines and pterygoids at their junction with each other abut against it: the pterygoid sends off a short process from the middle of its hinder border; but this is not met by a corresponding ‘ pterygoid process” of the basisphenoid as in Didunculus. The frontals are broad and convex, rising abruptly (as in Didunculus) above the coalesced cranial ends of the nasals and premaxillary (Pl. XV.); in Didus the breadth greatly exceeds the length of the interorbital frontal convexity, as compared with K 2 68 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE Didunculus, and the convexity reigns in the transverse as well as the antero-posterior direction ; in Didunculus, however, it is less concave transversely than in Gowra. In the breadth or thickness of the interorbital septum Didus resembles Apterya and Palap- teryx and shows the same pneumatic cancellous structure. The posterior olfactory chambers are partially divided, as in Dinornis, by an upper median septum; each compartment, which is 7 lines across and an inch in length, is perforated posteriorly by an olfactory foramen more than a line in diameter, from which grooved impressions of ramifications of the nerve diverge upon the hind and upper wall of the chamber: ex- ternal to the olfactory foramen is a longer one for the passage of a vein into the fore and inner part of the orbit. The cranial ends of the nasals and nasal process of the premaxillary (Pl. XXIII. fig. 1, 22) are flat, depressed, thin plates; the latter at its junction with the frontal is 6 lines broad, partially divided by a median groove above and a ridge below, and by short linear fissures from the nasals: the forward extension of these bones is feebly indicated by linear grooves terminating at the outer margins of the nasal branch of the premaxil- lary, about 4 inches from its vertical end. The proportion of the base of the upper mandible attached to the frontal contributed by the nasals is the same as that indicated in the ‘Proc. Zool. Soc.’ 7. ¢. The nasal branch of the premaxillary presents a full elliptical transverse section where it quits the maxillary processes, losing both depth and breadth as it recedes to join the nasals; here it retains its breadth, viz. 6 lines, but continues to be thinned off vertically to the plate above named joining the frontal. The under surface of the narrower part of the stem is angular, the upper one being gently convex. ** Where the nasal and maxillary processes diverge, there is a deep groove externally, terminating in a canal directed forwards into the rostral part or body of the premaxillary”’. This part is subdecurved, pointed, roughened by irregular vascular perforations and grooves, with a sharp alveolar border, which describes a sigmoid curve lengthwise, and with a deeper concavity of the palatal surface than in Dinornis or Didunculus. Moreover the concavity is partially divided lengthwise by a median ridge. ‘The palatal surfaces of the maxillary processes and maxillaries are narrow and very convex transversely, inter- cepting a long narrow palato-nasal fissure. The outer side of the maxillary process is deep vertically and slightly concave lengthwise—a structure not known in Didunculus or any Dove, and related, like most other deviations from the Columbine cranial characteristics, to the provision of unwonted strength of beak in the Dodo. The maxillary branches of the premaxillary have completely coalesced with the maxillaries, as these have with the palatines; and the halves of the upper mandible here swell out laterally and more so vertically, the maxillaries rising to combine with the outer divisions of the nasals, and sending back a short process from their lower and lateral part to join the malar. The inner surface of the maxillary process (Pl. XXIII. fig. 1, 22*) is smooth and slightly convex vertically ; both upper and lower borders are obtuse and thick. Proc. Zool. Soe. 1. c. p. 5. OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 69 The palatines arch outward from their posterior attachments, are broad and smooth mesially ; the margin here is angular, with a slightly produced obtuse apex, divided by a channel on the under surface of the palatine from the outer convex border ; the upper and outer ridge extends forward to the maxillary; the inner one subsides before reaching that bone. “The palatines form the posterior boundaries of the naso- palatine aperture, and approximate each other at both ends, but more closely posteriorly, yet here without meeting; whilst in Didwnculus they coalesce before receiving the abutment of the pterygoids. “The tympanic bone is subquadrate, with the four angles produced, and the upper and hinder are bifurcate, forming the double condyle for the mastoid articulation”'. There is a larger pneumatic foramen, communicating with the tympanic cavity, between the articulating cavities for these condyles. The brain is singularly small in the present species of Didus: and if it be viewed as an index of intelligence of the bird, the latter may well be termed ineptus. The length of the cranial cavity (Pl. XXIII. fig. 1, vc) is 1 inch 8 lines, its extreme breadth 1 inch 6 lines, its greatest height 1 inch (and this is at the cerebellar fossa). The most remarkable feature in the cranial structure of Didus is the disproportionate size of the brain-case to the important part of the neural axis it contained and protected: some approximation to this condition is made by Dinornis*, the Owls, and a few large Cocka- toos, e.g. Microglossum aterrimum ; but it is fully paralleled only by the Elephant among air-breathing vertebrates, as may be seen by comparing the section Pl. XXIII. fig. 1 with the figures of a similar section quoted below*. Not only was the brain of very small proportional size in the present large extinct bird, but the division of the cranial cavity appropriate to the cerebrum proper is less in proportion to that for the cerebellum and optic lobes, at least in vertical and longitu- dinal diameters, than in any other known bird. In the Elephant the thickness of the pneumatic diploé between the fore part of the cerebral cavity and that of the outer cranial wall equals the longitudinal diameter of the cavity containing the cerebral hemispheres : in Didus it exceeds that diameter. The thick- ness of the pneumatic diploé above the cerebral cavity equals the vertical diameter of that cavity in Didus: the diploé gradually decreases in thickness as it approaches the foramen magnum. The disposition of the osseous lamelle forming the cells or cavities of the diploé is very different in the Elephant and Dodo: they extend for the most part vertically between the outer and inner tables of the skull in the proboscidian mammal, leaving long and narrow interspaces ; in the heavy ground-bird they form a congeries of small subequal and subspherical air-cells, and this structure obtains in the basal and lateral walls as well as in the superior or “ roofing” wall of the cranial cavity. The ' Proc, Zool, Soc. 7. ¢. p. 6. 2 Zool. Trans. vol. iv. pl. 24. fig. 4. 3 Odontography, pl. 146. fig. 1; Anat. of Vertebrates, vol. ii. p. 489. fig. 296. 70 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE extent of this cancellous structure at the sides of the cranial cavity may be known by the ratio of the breadth of that cavity to the breadth of the cranium, which is 3 inches and 8 lines at the broadest part of the brain, viz. the prosencephalon. It would seem, at first sight, as if the poorly developed brain of the Dodo had needed, on some account, unusual protection; but the true explanation rests on the size, weight, and power of the bill, and the concomitant necessity for adequate extent of attachment of the facial to the cranial part of the skull, and of the muscles from the trunk destined to sustain and wield the long and heavy-beaked head. ‘The cerebrum of the Dodo does not greatly, and by no means proportionally, exceed the size of that part of the brain in the Crown-pigeons (Goura). If the great Ground-dove of the Mauritius gradually gained bulk in the long course of successive generations in that uninhabited thickly-wooded island, and, exempt from the attacks of any enemy, with food enough scattered over the ground, ceased to exert the wings to raise the heavy trunk, then, on Lamarck’s principle, the disused members would atrophy, while the hind limbs, through the increased exercise by habitual motion on land, with increasing weight to support, would hypertrophy. In the long course of generations subject to this slow rate of change, there would be nothing in the contemporaneous condition of the Mauritian fauna to alarm or in any way to put the Dodo to its wits; being, like other Pigeons, monogamous, the excite- ment, even, of a seasonal or prenuptial combat, might, as in them, be wanting: we may well suppose the bird to go on feeding and breeding in a lazy, stupid fashion, without call or stimulus to any growth of cerebrum proportionate to the gradually accruing in- crement of the bulk of the body. Whatever part of the brain was concerned in regu- lating or controlling muscular actions, might, indeed, be expected to show some concur- rent rate of increase with the growing mass of the voluntary contractile fibres ; and the size of the cerebellar division (Pl. XXIII. fig. 1, n 0) of the cranial cavity accords with the generally accepted physiology of the superincumbent mass of the epencephalon. The lateral depression at the fore and under part of the side of the postcerebral division of the cranial cavity indicates that the optic lobes, like the eyes, remained almost stationary during the progressive acquisition of the bulk that distinguishes the Dodo from the largest existing Doves. The proportions of Didus, Pezophaps, Casuarius, Rhea, Dromaius, Struthio, Aptornis, Cnemiornis, Palapteryx, Xpyornis, Dinornis, &c. among terrestrial birds, of Notornis among the lake-haunting Coots, and of Aptenodytes and Alca inypennis among sea- birds, point to the disuse of wings in flight as the main condition of increase of size in species of birds—the next condition being absence of lethal enemies during the years requisite for such course and rate of growth. . Let foes arise from whom a power of flight is the main condition of escape, and the wingless giants of the feathered class soon succumb. Among the genera above-cited, Aptornis, Cnemiornis, Apyornis, Palapteryx, Dinornis, Didus, and Pezophaps, with the largest of the Auks, have thus passed away, while Votornis and Apterya are on the OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 71 verge of extinction through the rapid increase of population in the small island to which they are restricted. In sparsely peopled continents, such as Africa, South America, and Australia, brevipennate giants may still range the deserts, pampas, and unfrequented wilds. ‘The ascertained recent advent of Man in New Zealand, New Britain, Ceram, Banda, Salwattie, Mauritius, Rodriguez, significantly points to the conditions under which have come to pass, in lapse of time, so strange an anomaly as a bird with the specially modified instruments of flight reduced below the power of exerting that mode of locomotion, yet, as a bird, retaining the conditions of the respiratory and tegumentary systems of the volant class, of which it has become a degenerate member. With the cessation of the chief of those conditions, viz. the absence of enemies, such birds necessarily perish. Refraining, however, from further indulgence in an easy and seductive vein of specu- lation, I would recall attention to the notable protuberance in the cranial cavity of the Dodo (Pl. XXIII. fig. 1, 0) developed towards the upper part of the vertical tentorium, contracting at its lower part into the ridge dividing the prosencephalic from the mesen- cephalic chamber. In the latter are the orifices for the issue of the trigeminal nerve, the larger and posterior (ib. ¢) giving passage to the third and second divisions, and answering to the combined foramen ovale and rotundum of mammals, and the smaller and anterior foramen dismissing the first or orbital division of the fifth nerve. At the upper part, of the mesencephalic fossa the narrow groove for the lateral venous sinus impresses and defines the back part of the tentorial protuberance, aboye which it bifurcates, the lower branch bounding or defining the wall of the superior semicircular canal and the upper part of the primitive acoustic capsule. Below this arch is an oblong cerebellar fossa (ib. 2) which appears to have received veins from the cranial diploé, Beneath this fossa, and just behind the mesencephalic chamber, is the multiperforate internal auditory depres- sion. Next behind this is the outlet for the vagal nerve and entojugular vein. Below this are the small precondyloid foramina. There is a falcial ridge, low and thick, indi- cating the division of the prosencephalic chamber into lateral compartments for hemi- spheres; and this ridge shows a narrow groove as for a small longitudinal sinus, A transverse linear groove abruptly defines the fore part of the ridge. The vertically expanded anterior part of the premaxillary (ib. fig. 1,22) has a large pneumatic cavity communicating by a reticulate wall with the cells of a cancellous struc- ture, larger than those of the cranial diploé. ‘The maxillary branch of the premaxillary (ib. 22*) consists of a light open-work air-diploé, with a very thin outer case of bone. The short symphysis mandibule shows a small cavity, surrounded by more minutely can- cellous structure and thicker compact walls, especially at the upper and hinder parts. Although some characters have been too much insisted on (e.g. the ‘‘ superoccipital foramen”) as exemplifying the affinity of the Dodo, the more essential characters of the skull relate to its true Columbine character, while the deviations from that part of the skeleton of volant Doves are explicable in the adaptive developments needed for the 72 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE wielding of long, powerful, massive mandibles, serving most probably to enable the bird to subsist on some proportion of animal diet, in addition to such vegetable food as it might gain from the ground, Such indiscriminate feeding doubtless rendered its flesh less palatable than that of the winged Pigeons of the Mauritius to the Dutch navigators of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. But the affinities of Didus will be more fully and decisively brought out in the com- parison of the, in this respect, more instructive and light-giving parts of the skeleton. § 10. Comparison of the Skeleton. The dorsal region of the vertebral column shows, in some birds, a confluence of certain vertebre: I have observed four to be so welded together by both centrums and neural spines in Phenicopterus, viz. the second to the fifth dorsal inclusive, leaving the sixth free, which articulates with the first costigerous sacral vertebra. In Platalea three dorsals coalesce in advance of the antepenultimate free vertebra. In the smaller diurnal birds of prey five dorsal vertebre are usually confluent, leaving one free vertebra for the lateral movements of the trunk between such dorsal “ sacrum” and the pelvic one. In Vultures, Plovers, Bustards, Cranes, Psophia, Cariama, Palamedea, the Penguins, and in all flightless land-birds save the Dodo, no such anchylosis takes place. The Colum- bide are the species in which thé dorsal vertebra, homologous and the same in number with those of Didus, undergo the process of confluence into one mass of bone: they are the three which immediately precede the last (moveable) dorsal vertebra; and of these the two anterior develope, in Gowra and Didunculus, hypapophyses closely corresponding in shape and proportion with those in the Dodo. The chief difference which Didus offers in the present region of ‘the vertebral column from that of Columbide is in the greater number of the vertebrae or segments which are typically completed by bony heemapophyses articulating with pleurapophyses and directly with their mass of coalesced and expanded hemal spines constituting the ster- num. Of these typical thoracic segments there were five in Didus (Pl. XV.) ; Didun- culus (ib.) shows four; Goura three. In both existing genera these segments are suc- ceeded by a single one, anchylosed to the fore part of the sacrum, but with the pleura- pophysis long and moveable, with its hemapophysis terminating in a point before reaching the sternum, and extensively connected with the antecedent hemapophysis or sternal rib: in both genera two dorsal vertebre in advance of the typically complete one have moveable pleurapophyses terminating freely in a point, with no hemapophyses other than the costal processes of the sternum may represent. In Gowra, which has six pairs of moveable or thoracic ribs, the second pair belong to the first of the three anchy- losed dorsal vertebree: in Didunculus, which has seven pairs of thoracic ribs, the second pair belongs to the free dorsal immediately in advance of the anchylosed mass. Sup- posing Didus to have had one pair of ribs behind, and two pairs in front of those that directly articulate with the sternum, as the vertebra Pl. XVII. fig. 7 indicates, it OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. om] vo would have had eight pairs of thoracic ribs; and I think this excess of one pair beyond the formula in Didunculus to be very probable in the large-bodied, small-winged extinct Ground-dove. As far as the series of Dodo's neck-vertebre under my observation exhibit such characters, the proportion of those with neural spines, or with hypapophyses, or both, is the same as in the Colwmbide. In this family, as in most birds, the greater part of the series want both processes. The cervical parapophyses, descending to form the sides of the carotid canal, do not meet, coalesce, and circumscribe it in any cervical vertebra of Goura or Didunculus; and not any of the vertebre of Didus, which I have yet received, shows such circumscription of the hemal canal. The majority of the cervicals in Didus (those, viz., that lack both neural spines and hypapophyses) are broader and more massive in proportion to their length than in the winged Doves. The third cervical in Didus has both the above processes, as in Columbidw: the characters of the axis vertebra in the same family are closely repeated in that of the Dodo. In the Raptores the axis vertebra is shorter in proportion to its length, and a greater pro portion of the cervical vertebra at both ends of the series have both neural spines and hypapophyses. The ribs of the Dodo are as broad, in proportion to their length, as in Doves, but are relatively longer in proportion to the dorsal region, encompassing a more capacious thoracic-abdominal cavity. The ribs of the Vulture are more expanded than in Didus, especially where they afford the extensive attachment to the epipleurals. But I shall not dwell further on the comparative characters of this part of the skeleton, as more decisive ones of the affinity of Didus are afforded by other parts. In comparing the sternum of the Dodo with that of Doves of flight, the first well- marked difference is in the adaptive development of the keel in the last (Pl. XV. fig. 2, Didunculus), and in the provision for the concomitantly broader coracoids, the grooves for which meet and run into each other across the fore part of the bone in existing Colwm- bide (Pl. XXIV. fig. 2, 4); consequently the inner or upper wall of the confluent grooves forms a median prominence (ib. ¢) at the front margin of the sternum, contrasting with the wide notch at that part of the bone in the Dodo (Pl. XVI. fig. 4). The next differ- ence, as compared with Gowra and most Pigeons, is the absence of the entolateral processes (Pl. XXIV. fig. 3, 7) in the Dodo’s sternum: but Didunculus singularly exem- plifies its nearer affinity to Didus by a like absence of those processes; only the sternal margins behind the ectolateral processes (ib. fig. 1, h), instead of converging with a slight convexity to an obtuse apex, as in Pl. XVIII, describe a concavity, through an expansion of the posterior truncate end of the breast-bone. The sternum of Didunculus may be said to show one pair of posterior notches (P]. XXIV. fig. 1, f), that of other Pigeons two pairs (ib. fig. 3, ff"); but the sternum of Didus, which is relatively broader, shows no other trace of the anterior notch (Pl. XVIII. f) than is afforded by the rounded angle at which the ectolateral process (/) rises from the bone. Although the VOL. VI.—PART II. L 74 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE costal margin is relatively shorter in Doves of flight than in the Dodo, again an inter- mediate condition is manifested by Didunculus as compared with Goura, in which latter Dove there are articular surfaces for three sternal ribs (Pl. XXIV. fig. 3, ¢ 1, 2,3), whilst in Didunculus there are four (ib. fig. 1, ¢). Diduneulus also exhibits, more strongly than Goura, the obtuse ridges (ib. fig. 2,7) converging like buttresses from the outer wall of the coracoid groove to the fore part of the keel, where they subside. In Didun- culus there is a pneumatic foramen exterior to the coracoid groove, corresponding with p, fig. 4, Pl. XVI., which I do not find in the sternum of Goura; but in the Crown- _ pigeons the pneumatic foramina along the middle line of the upper surface of the sternum are conspicuous; they are confined to the fore part of that surface in Didun- culus (Pl. XXIV. fig. 1). In the direction of the ectolateral processes Goura (ib. fig. 3, 2) is intermediate be- tween Didunculus and Didus. The pectoral ridge on the outer surface of the sternum, continued backward from the outer end of the coracoid groove, is adaptively better marked in Pigeons of flight than in the Dodo; and the pair of ridges are more nearly parallel in their backward course, not so convergent as in Didus. In Gowra the subcostal ridge is better marked than in Didunculus. In no Dove of flight is the body of the sternum so broad and hollow as in Didus (Pl. XXIII. fig. 4); in this respect the Vulture more nearly resembles the Dodo, as it does also in the more convex anterior contour of the keel: but the vulturine sternum does not lose breadth as it extends backward: it is a square-shaped shield in birds of prey, shorter in proportion to its breadth, with a greater extent of costal process and margin, and with the ectolateral processes, when they exist, extending backward as far as the hinder border of the bone. In the thorough quest of resemblances to the Dodo’s sternum which I have made through the class of Birds, I came upon an unexpected superficial likeness to it in the sternum of a Night-jar (Po- dargus humeralis), The ectolateral processes (Pl. XXIV. fig. 4, h) rise behind the moderately extended costal borders, ¢; and beyond them the body of the sternum con- verges to an obtuse end, with a contour similar to that in Didus. Moreover the cora- coid grooves are divided from each other by a free concave border, less deep and exten- sive, indeed, than in Didus, but as free from any trace of episternal projection. The ectolateral processes, however, are extended backward to beyond the sternal body; and this part usually shows a pair of small entolateral notches, /’, of which one was present on one side in the specimen figured, Through the reduction of the coracoids in all flightless birds, there is an interval between their sternal articulations: this is long and concaye in the Dodo, but is longest and most deeply concave in Apterya; it is long but almost straight in Rhea; in Casuarius and Dromaius it is narrow but deeply notched ; in St¢ruthio it developes a short episternal process, In no Grallatorial sternum with both ecto- and ento-lateral pro- cesses (as e.g. Otis, Edicnemus, Charadrius) do the former project, as in Didus and the Rasores, immediately behind the costal margin, but they are continued, parallel with OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 75 the keel, from the outer and posterior angle of the sternum, distant from the costal margin. In old Plovers the entolateral process joins the contiguous angle of the sternal body, and converts the inner notch into a foramen. In the breast-bone of the Dodo we plainly discern the Columbine modification of the Gallinaceous type, simplified in the minor development of those parts relating adaptively to the power of flight, and expanded and excavated for the support of the larger gizzard with its heavier grindstones', In comparing the pelvis of Didwnculus and Goura (Pl. XXIV. fig. 5) with that of Didus (Pl. XIX. fig. 1), the correspondences are :—in the general shape, proportions and disposition of the ilia; in the articulation therewith of the last pair of moveable ribs, and of the short straight confluent pleurapophyses of the three succeeding sacral vertebree ; then follow, as in Didus, three vertebree without pleurapophyses, these reappearing in the next two with their extremities converging to abut against a prominence of the inner surface of the ilium in the same relative position. The difference here is in the two equal and more slender rib-buttresses, in place of the single stronger one, which is the more common structure in Didus; but in Gowra I have noted an instance in which it agreed with the Didunculus on the left side, and with Didus on the right, in the last- specified character. In the Crown-pigeons, also, there is an indication of the transverse ridge marking off the under part of the centrum of the first sacral from the rest, and those that follow are less expanded than in the Dodlets; moreover in Didwnculus they show a median canal instead of a ridge, while the ridge is feebly indicated here and there and there is no canal in Gowra. In neither Didunculus nor Goura do the sacral centrums behind the last rib-abutments diminish in breadth so suddenly as in Didus: in both the winged Pigeons the hinder part of the pelvic cavity is relatively deeper and narrower than in Didus ; in both, also, the upper and anterior concave tracks of the ilia are deeper; and in Didunculus the mesial borders do not attain the neural crest, but leave a pair of open longitudinal canals at that part of the pelvis; in Gowra those margins reach the neural crest, but do not overtop it at any part. In Gowra the acetabula are more in advance of a median position than in Didunculus, Columba magnifica, or Didus. Although the ischiadic foramina are completed by terminal confluence of the ilium and ischium in 1 The habit of the Dodo to ayail itself of extraneous crushers to a gallinaceous or struthious degree, is attested by the following fruit of the extensive research of the learned and conscientious author of the Article Dopo, in the ‘ Penny Cyclopedia : ’— «* About 1638, as I walked London streets, I saw the picture of a strange fowle hong out upon a cloth; and myselfe with one or two more then in company went in to see it. It was kept in a chamber, and was a great fowle, somewhat bigger than the largest Turkey-cock, and so legged and footed, but stouter and thicker and of a more erect shape, coloured before like the breast of a young cock feasan, and on the back of a dunn or deere coulour. The keeper called it a Dodo, and in the end of a chymney in the chamber there lay a heap of large pebble-stones, whereof hee gave it many in our sight, some as big as nutmegs, and the keeper told us shee eats them (conducing to digestion).” Sir Thos. Brown’s Works (Wilkin’s Edition, 4 vols.: London, 1836), vol. i. p- 369; vol. ii. p. 173. L2 76 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE Dromaius and Casuarius, yet the length of those foramina (which are unclosed) in Struthio and Apteryx, concomitant with the greater relative length of the pelvis, shows the difference of Didus from the cursorial Brevipennates in this part of the skeleton. The ischia of the winged Pigeons resemble those of the Dodo; but the imer longitu- dinal ridge is more strongly marked in Didunculus: in the Goura it is less developed than in Didus; the bone is longer also in proportion to its breadth, and the ischiadic foramen is longer and narrower: the proportions of that in Didunculus are more like those in Didus. In Didunculus the pubis coalesces with the ischium behind the small obturator foramen, but leaves a second or posterior elongate ischio-pubic vacuity. The greatest amount of resemblances with the pelvis of the Dodo is found in that of different members of the Dove-tribe. In comparing the pelvis of the Dodo with that of the Vulture (Pl. XXIV, fig. 6), we find in the latter that the first two confluent sacral vertebree supporting moveable ribs are succeeded by several with short abutting ribs, the extent of this part of the sacrum being nearly one-half of the whole, instead of one- -fourth as in Didus and the Doves. The reappearance of rib-abutments after four ribless sacrals is in the posterior third of the sacrum, and they are continued to the end of that bone from the last four vertebree of the series, constituting a very marked difference, both as to number and the character of the vertebra in the sacral part of the pelvis. With regard to the iliac bones, the anterior concave track occupies two-thirds of the extent of the bone in Vultur, not one-half as in Didus and most Doves ; the breadth of the posterior parts of the ilia with the intervening sacrum in the Vulture is relatively less than in the winged Doves, and differs in a greater degree from that characteristic part in the sacrum of Didus. In Ciconia the antacetabular part of the pelvis is relatively longer, and the iliac bones are more expanded anteriorly. In Platalea the proportions are more nearly those in Didus. In Ofis the ilia touch the fore part of the sacro-spinal ridge, but leave both posterior and anterior apertures of the ilio-neural canals widely open. In Edicnemus and Charadrius they are grooves, the ilia not reaching the sacral spines. The external concavity of the ilium is longer, narrower, and deeper, in most waders, than in Didus. In Eudyptes and Aptenodytes the ilia are more expanded ante- riorly, but the whole pelvis is narrower and longer than in Didus. The Gar-fowl (Alca impennis)', Uria, Podiceps, and Colymbus, all show still longer and narrower pro- portions of the pelvis. In the Doves of flight the proportions and relative position of the three compart- ments of the cranial cavity differ from those in the Dodo. Both the pros- and mesen- cephalic ones are proportionally larger than the epencephalic; and the mesencephalic compartment lies more directly below the prosencephalic one. A very thin stratum of finely cellular diploé divides the two tables of the skull along the medial line of the upper surface: it is thicker between the orbits. The falcial ridge at the inner surface * Trans. Zool. Soe. vol. v. pl. 51. OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 77 of the prosencephalic roof resembles that in Didus. The tentorial ridge bifurcates half way down, the front portion dividing, almost horizontally, the pros- from the mesen- cephalic compartment, the hinder and more obtuse ridge dividing, almost vertically, the mes- from the epencephalic compartment. The angle of bifurcation is slightly produced and obtuse, but represents very feebly the tentorial tuberosity (Pl. XXIII. fig. 1, 0) in the Dodo: from it, in Gowra, is continued backward the arch of bone formed by the superior semicircular canal, above which is the groove for the venous sinus, as in Didus. The internal auditory fossa is less deep than in Didus: above it is a similarly vertically oblong cerebellar pit. The nerve-foramina correspond with those in Didus: the entocarotid canal opens into a rather deeper sella in Columba palumbus. On comparing the cranial cavity, as exposed by a vertical longitudinal section in the Dodo (Pl. XXIII. fig. 1), with that of a Dinornis similarly exposed’, the first difference is the smaller proportional depth of the diploé in the larger wingless bird, which is not greater over the prosencephalic than over the epencephalic compartment; next may be noticed the larger relative size of the former compartment, indicating the larger cere- brum of the Dinornis, then the absence of the tentorial tuberosity, the sharper and more produced superior part of the tentorial ridge arching transversely between the cerebrum and cerebellum, the smaller internal auditory fossa, and the deeper sella: the mesencephalic compartment, or cavity for the optic lobe, is less in proportion to the prosencephalic compartment than in Didus; it holds, however, a similar relative posi- tion: finally, the cerebellar pit, above the internal auditory fossa, is wanting in the Dinornis. The Dodo agrees with the Doves in possessing a slender furculum, forming an acute angle; it resembles Columba galeata, more especially, in the halves of that bone being united by ligament below, and forming separate styles or “ clavicles.” The humerus of the Goura closely repeats most of the characters described in that of the Dodo: but its length is proportionally greater, being 3 inches 9 lines, nearly equal to that of the sternum or pelvis, whereas the humerus of the Dodo is little more than half the length of either sternum or pelvis. The processes for the attachment of the muscles are, nevertheless, fully as strongly developed in Didus (Pl. XX. figs. 12 & 14) as in the volant Doves (Pl. XXIV. figs. 8 & 9, Gowra); that, indeed, which is a ridge (7) on the back part of the shaft in Didus, is a mere rough surface in Goura, and does not show in Didunculus. The pneumatic fossa, which varies in depth in the two humeri of the Dodo, is in both relatively larger and shallower than in Gowra. ‘The pectoral process is thinner, but relatively rather more produced, in Didunculus. The humerus in @di- cnemus, Otis, and Charadrius has a more longitudinally extended, thinner, and more produced pectoral ridge than in Didus and the Columbidw; there is a more marked ectocondyloid tuberosity, which in Charadrius becomes a pointed process. There is nothing to be gained by giving the details of the more striking differences ' Trans, Zool. Soc. vol. iv. pl. 24. fig. 4. 78 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE which the humerus presents in Penguins, Auks, and birds of prey, as compared with that bone in the Dodo; but a few words may be recorded of the comparison of the humerus of the Dodo with that of the flightless bird of New Zealand, so nearly ap- proaching to it in size, which bird is described in the 5th volume of the ‘ Transactions’ of the Society under the name of Cnemiornis (p. 395, pl. 66. figs. 7-10). In that extinct species, although the humerus is 53 inches in length, the parts indicative of the forces by which it was worked are comparatively feebly developed. The ulnar tuberosity is nar- rower, thicker, more obtuse, and its base has neither the upper nor lower excavation ; it rises above the articular head, which is less prominent and narrower than in Didus; the pectoral ridge is shorter and situated lower down upon the shaft, not on the same level with the radial tuberosity as it is in Didus; the distal articulation is of the same size as in Didus, but neither the radial nor the ulnar convexity is so prominent or well- defined. The ulna of the Dodo is shorter absolutely, and much more so proportionally, than in the Goura and most other volant Doves. In these it exceeds the humerus by about one- fourth its own length; in Didunculus (Pl. XV.) it is a little longer than the humerus; in the Dodo (ib.) it is shorter than the humerus. The length of the ulna in Gouwra coronata is 4 inches 6 lines; it is more bent than in the Dodo; the quill-tubercles, seven cr eight in number, are more prominent; nevertheless the rough depression for the insertion of the chief flexor is less deep and less defined. The plumed winglet of the Dodo would seem, therefore, to have been frequently and forcibly moved. In comparing the femur of the Dodo with that of the largest Dove, the bone appears gigantic. The length of the femur in Gowra coronata (Pl. XXIV. fig. 11) is but 3 inches 3 lines, and it is more slender in proportion to its length than in the Dodo ; it, however, repeats the few characteristics, if they may be so termed, of the Dodo’s femur. It has the pneumatic foramen in the same position, perhaps proportionally larger ; it has the same large oblong surface for the ligament at the head of the bone; the great trochanter has the same form and disposition, but is not quite so much produced an- teriorly ; there is a slight depression instead of a ridge for the trochanter minor; the fore part of the inner condyle is relatively thicker and less produced. The femur in Otis and Cidicnemus has a thicker and shorter trochanter major, a more narrow and shallow rotular channel; it is shorter in comparison with the tibia, and more especially with the metatarsus, than in Didus and the Doves. The femur of Aptornis otidiformis’ is of the same size as that of the Dodo; but it has no pneumatic foramen, the head is more hemispheroid and inclined forward, the liga- mentous pit is deeper and more circular, the supracervical articular surface is not detined from that of the head, there is a wider and deeper depression at the fore part of the proximal end of the femur, and a more prominent tuberosity on the back part; the ridge continued from the back part of the shaft to that of the inner con- ’ Trans. Zool. Soe. vol. v. pl. 65. fig. 3. OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 79 dyle is more produced and sharper in Aptornis, the fore part of the same condyle is less produced. The femur in Cnemiornis' and Dinornis? is much thicker, in proportion to its length, than in either Aptornis or Didus. In Pezophaps the great trochanterian ridge rises higher above the neck, and the shaft has a more uniform thickness, with the inner contour less concave, than in Didus. The characters which have been noted at the proximal and distal ends of the tibia of Didus are repeated in those of the tibia of the Goura. ‘The difference in size is more marked than in the femur; the length of the tibia of Gowra coronata is 4 inches 7 lines, and its shaft is more slender, in proportion to its length (Pl. XXIV. fig. 13), than in Didus (Pl. XXII.). The tendency to a trihedral form of the shaft is less marked in Goura; the anterior prominences of the distal condyles are thicker in proportion to the intervening fossa. In the Vulture the fibular ridge is more parallel with the long axis of the shaft than in Didus; the tendinal canal is less cylindrical, has an oblique course from the middle of the anterior surface towards the inner condyle; the fore parts of both distal condyles are less produced and less convex; the distal end is narrower from before backwards in proportion to its breadth ; both extremities of the bone are less expanded in proportion to the shaft than in the Dodo. In the great Plover (Hdicnemus crepitans) the tibia, as in other Gralli, is longer in proportion to its thickness than in Didus; the epicnemial process rises higher above and projects further in front of the condylar surfaces before it divides into the pro- and ectocnemial plates; and these are relatively more produced. ‘The fibular ridge is shorter in proportion to the length of the tibia, is more prominent, and more parallel with the axis of the shaft. The distal condyles project further backward than in Didus. The tibia in Charadrius, Otis, Tantalus, Grus, Ciconia, Mycteria, Porphyrio, opposes similar or equivalent differences to those in @dicnemus, against the affinity of Didus to any of those Gralle. In the comparison of the tibia of this extinct flightless bird with that of the Cnemiornis, the wonderful development of the plates and processes at the proximal end of the bones in the New Zealand bird is strikingly manifested. In Cnemiornis the fibular ridge runs in a line with the shaft, and does not incline from above obliquely forward as in Didus and the Doves; the ridge on the outer side of the distal fourth of the bone is stronger and sharper in Cnemiornis; the tendinal canal is transversely elliptical, medial in position, with a slight inward inclination; the intercondyloid fossa is much wider in Cnemiornis. The differences, indeed, in all the characters of the tibia, as compared with Didus, in the Vultures, Plovers, Penguins, and terrestrial flightless birds tend to render more instructive and convincing the resemblances which Pigeons present in the same characters to the extinct Mauritian bird. ' Trans. Zool. Soe. vol. y. pl. 65. fig. 1. ? Thid. fig. 5, 80 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE ” § 10. Conclusion. The affinities or place in nature of the Dodo being thus determined by the characters of its skeleton, but few words remain to be said on the bearings of present knowledge of this species upon other zoological generalizations. The researches and observations of naturalists have been carried out to such an extent as to support the conclusion that the Didus ineptus does not now live in any part of the world, and that it never existed save in that part of which the island of Mauritius may be a remnant. Consequently the species there originated; and the most intelli- gible conception of its mode of origin is that to which I have alluded in the description of the brain-case (p. 70). The Dodo exemplifies Buffon’s idea’ of the origin of species through departure from a more perfect original type by degeneration; and the known consequences of the disuse of one locomotive organ and extra use of another indicate the nature of the secondary causes that may have operated in the creation of this species of bird, agree- ably with Lamarck’s philosophical conception of the influence of such physiological con- ditions of atrophy and hypertrophy®. The young of all Doves are hatched with wings as small as in the Dodo: that species retained the immature character. ‘The main con- dition making possible the production and continuance of such a species in the island of Mauritius was the absence of any animal that could kill a great bird incapable of flight. The introduction of such a destroyer became fatal to the species which had lost such means of escape*. The Mauritian Doves (Columba nitidissima and C. meyert) that retained their powers of flight continue to exist there. As I have no reason to offer why one kind of Pigeon should have retained and another lost its powers of flight, nor am able to adduce a particle of evidence of the hypothetical degrees of diminution of the wing-bones to their stunted proportions in Didus, any more than in Dinornis, I feel that in the foregoing remarks I lay myself open to the rebuke of fellow-labourers who may think with the able authors who last treated of the present subject. They warn their readers to ‘‘ beware of attributing anything like imperfection to these anomalous organisms, however deficient they may be in those complicated structures which we so much admire in other creatures. Each animal and plant has received its peculiar organization for the purpose, not of exciting the admiration of other beings, but of sustaining its own existence. Its perfection, therefore, consists, not in the number or complication of its organs, but in the adaptation of its whole structure to the external circumstances in which it is destined to live. And, in this point of view, we shall find that every department of the organic creation is equally perfect, the ! Histoire Naturelle, d&c., 4to, tom. xiv. “ Dégénération des Animaux: ” 1760, ? Philosophie Zoologique, 8vo, 1809, tom. i. chaps. 3, 6, & 7. 3 Acreeably with the principle of the “contest for existence” by which I explained the extinction of the species of Dinornis, Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. iv. p. 14, 1851. OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 81 humblest animalcule or the simplest conferva being as completely organized with reference to its appropriate habitat and its destined functions as Man himself, who claims to be lord of all. Such a view of the creation is surely more philosophical than the crude and profane ideas entertained by Buffon and his disciples” *. Nevertheless the truth, as we have or feel it, should be told. In the end it may prove to be the more acceptable service. The Didus ineptus, L., through its degenerate or imperfect structure, howsoever acquired, has perished. What have the stigmatizers of Buffon to offer in lieu of his theory as applied to the origin of this species of bird? They begin by asking, ‘““Why does the whale possess the germs of teeth which are never used for mastication? and why was the Dodo endowed with wings at all, when those wings were useless for locomotion? This question,” they own, ‘‘is too wide and too deep to plunge into at present.” They nevertheless proceed to remark, ‘‘ These apparently anomalous facts are really the indications of laws which the Creator has been pleased to follow in the construction of organized beings; they are inscriptions in an unknown hieroglyphic, which we are quite sure mean something, but of which we have scarcely begun to master the alphabet. There appear, however, reasonable grounds for believing that the Creator has assigned to each class of animals a definite type or structure, from which He has never departed, even in the most exceptional or eccentric modifications of form. Thus, if we suppose, for instance, that the abstract idea of a Mammal implied the presence of teeth, and the idea of a Bird the presence of wings, we may then comprehend why in the Whale and the Dodo these organs are merely suppressed, not wholly annihilated”*. This notion of type-forms or centres, unfortunately, has not merely relation to abstract biological speculations or theories, but to practical questions on which the true progress of Natural History vitally depends. If such types do exist, the National Museum, it is argued, may be restricted to their exhibition: and so our legislators and the public were assured by the Professor of Natural History in the Government School of Mines*, when the question was before the “ House” four years ago. I have let slip no suitable occa- sion to combat and expose what has seemed to me to be both an erroneous and mis- chievous view, most obstructive to the best interests of the science; and, standing alone 1 Strickland and Melville, ‘The Dodo and its Kindred,’ 4to, 1848, p. 34. 2 Op. cit. p. 34. 3 See letter in ‘The Times’ of May 21st, 1862, advocating the limitation of the National Museum of Natural History to “six rooms,” signed Tuomas H. Huxrey, F.R.S. 4 Reply to the aboye in ‘The Times’ of May 2nd, 1866, and in both editions (1861, 1862) of my ‘ Discourse on the Extent and Aims of a National Museum of Natural History.’ ‘Some naturalists urge that it is only necessary to exhibit the type-form of each genus or family. But they do not tell us what is such ‘ type- form.’ It is a metaphysical term, which implies that the Creative Force had a guiding pattern for the con- struction of all the varying or divergent forms in each genus or family. The idea is devoid of proof; and those who are loudest in advocating the restriction of exhibited specimens to ‘ types’ have contributed least to lighten the difficulties of the practical curator in making the selection.” (Ed, 1862, p. 24; see also pp. 26-34.) VOL. VI.—PART II. M 82 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE as I seemed to do on this point in the array of evidence before the “ Parliamentary Committee on the British Museum,” I was glad to find my views on type-forms adopted and paraphrased by the President in his Address to the British Association at the meeting at Nottingham", in the present year. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES. PLATE XV. Fic. 1. Side view of the skeleton of the Dodo (Didus ineptus, L.), with an outline of the bird as represented in the oil-painting presented to the British Museum by Epwarps, Naturalist and Librarian of the Royal Society, to whom it had been given by Sir Hans Sloane, P.R.S., with the statement that the painting had been made, of the natural size, from a living specimen of the Dodo, in Holland. The bones represented in profile, of the natural size”, testify to the accuracy of the form and proportions of the Dodo given in the painting. . An outline of the Samoan Dove or Dodlet (Didunculus strigirostris, Peale ; Gnathodon strigirostris, Jardine*) of the natural size, from a specimen living in 1865 in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London, with a view of the skeleton corresponding with that of the Dodo. bo Fig. PLATE XVI. . Front view of the fourth (or first of the three confluent) dorsal vertebre (centrum and neural arch). ic] oe ge — . Vertebral rib, or pleurapophysis, of the same vertebra, front view. ky da de ew bo 3. Sternal rib, or heemapophysis, of the same vertebra: a, outer side; 6, upper or pleural end; c, lower or sternal end; d, front margin ; e, inner surface. Fig. 4. Front view of sternum, or connate mass of hemal spines, including that of the same (fourth dorsal) vertebra. Fig. 5. Inner surface of an anterior pleurapophysis, with coalesced appendage, a. Fig. 6. Oblique view of ditto, ditto. 1 «The doctrine of typical nuclei seems only a mode of evading the difficulty. Experience does not give us the types of theory; and, after all, what are these types? It must be admitted there are none in reality. How are we led to the theory of them? Simply by a process of abstraction from classified existences. Having grouped from natural similitudes certain natural forms into a class, we select attributes common to each member of the class, and call the assemblage of such attributes a type of the class. This process gives us an abstract idea; and we then transfer this idea to the Creator, and make Him start with that which our own imperfect generalization has derived.’’ (Address, &c., by Witt1am R. Grove, Esq., Q.C., M.A. 8yvo, London, 1866: p. 31.) °* The scapular arch is rotated in advance of the ribs to show the character of the anterior dorsal vertebre. * See also Gould, ‘ Birds of Australia,’ part 22 (March, 1846). ihe OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. 83 Anterior pleurapophysis with appendage, a, front view: c, capitular end; d, tubercular end; f, hemal end; 7 a, outer surface ; 7 b, inner surface. . 8. An anterior pleurapophysis, front view. AY Posterior surface of the upper end of a posterior pleurapophysis: 9 @, body and lower end of ditto. . 10. Part of a pleurapophysis which has been broken and healed. . 11. Lower end of a posterior dorsal pleurapophysis, with connate rudiment of appendage, @. . 12. Heemapophysis. PLATE XVII. 1. Fourth, fifth, and sixth dorsal vertebree, anchylosed, side view. 2. Ditto, ditto, upper view. 3. Ditto, ditto, under view. . 4, 5 6 7 8 Ditto, ditto, back view. . Ditto, ditto, mutilated, of another Dodo. . Anterior dorsal vertebra, side view. . Ditto, front view; p/, outline of heads of floating rib. . Penultimate cervical vertebra, side view. SF Ditto, back view. . 10. Middle cervical vertebra, upper view. . 11. Ditto, under view. . 12. Axis, or second cervical vertebra, upper view. oo to bo mo bo et ig. 13. Ditto, under view. PLATE XVIII. . Under view of sternum. Upper or inner view. Back view. PLATE XIX. 1. Under or inner view of pelvis. . Upper or outer view of pelvis. PLATE XX. . Middle cervical vertebra, upper view. . Fifth cervical vertebra, upper view. . Fourth cervical vertebra, under view. . Right coracoid and clavicle. ore oc bd oaoanpr wh peo) PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE . Left coracoid and clavicle. . Right scapula, outer view. . Right scapula, inner view. . Left moiety of scapular arch, outer view. . Ditto, inner view. . 10. Upper articular end of right coracoid. ig. 11. Lower ditto. . 12. Left humerus, anconal or back surface. . 13. Left ditto, ulnar or inner surface. . 14. Left ditto, palmar or front surface. A. Ditto, proximal or upper end. B. Ditto, radial side of upper half. C. Ditto, distal end. . 15. Right radius. . 16. Right ulna, inner or radial side. .17. Right ulna, outer or ulnar side. PLATE XXI. . Left femur, front view. . Ditto, inner view. . Ditto, back view. . Ditto, upper end. . Ditto, lower end. PLATE XXII. . Left tibia, front view. Ditto, inner view. . Ditto, back view. . Ditto, upper end. . Ditto, lower end. . Left fibula, outer view. . Ditto, inner view. . Ditto, upper view. PLATE XXIII. . Longitudinal vertical section of mutilated skull. . Ditto of third cervical vertebra. . Ditto of lower cervical vertebra. . Transverse vertical section of sternum. oo ox OSTEOLOGY OF THE DODO. Fig. 5. Longitudinal section of humerus. . Ditto of upper end of femur. . Ditto of lower end of femur. . Ditto of upper end of tibia. Fig. 9. Ditto of lower end of tibia. Fig. 10. Ditto of metatarsus. onrw oS PLATE XXIV. . Sternum of Didunculus, upper view. . Ditto, front view. Sternum of Goura, upper view. . Sternum of Podargus humeralis, under view. . Pelvis of Gowra, under or inner view, half natural size. . Pelvis of Gyps (Vulture), under or inner view, half natural size. . Left moiety of scapular arch, Goura. . Left humerus of Gowra, anconal surface. Fig. 9. Left humerus of Gowra, palmar surface of upper end. Fig. 10. Left humerus of Gowra, palmar surface of lower end. Fig. 11. Right femur of Gouwra, front view. Fig. 12. Right femur of Goura, back view of upper end, and back view of lower end. Fig. 13. Right tibia and fibula of Gouwra, front view. ty e J A) IO oP wd Se m go co All the figures are of the natural size, save when otherwise expressed. ‘The letters are explained in the text. VOL. VI.—PART II. N re oe Nee ae ed ee i ee oe Lec : ~ oe a ; Path ems te 3 ‘ a . ee , ae =e ‘4 an is ; . se thee aT ae. Tes . Re a gee in SPI <> apes ee ate peta Ae mg Sake a ; aint ee eto 38 yiee ree. VA 4: t ie See aS . = = 1, ie bates: Piaget by ast CL 5 aes : 7 e's ; 4 : s. 3 woe ae tek *3 fives Br en mint. * SA See | 3 Tat dn ah yaaa eae i? Dae eae: solic Tote Ai RS OOS RI ie a hae Se meee ss Si est 2 ee ie Seal 28 a ree os Sea ae atta Daven vas ty une ta ag ee ORS Se ee oy ahs“, sib ae, as er ae Ss : ee en Nant meytnet ars 4g Petit were nt Se ie ate hee Bs ‘ ee het paki tok, arm ae I tir MUO TS ae bs pay ae ae i want 10 cohen seoyies Weir A . Dns ee Ae ei das one aye Sabai ce 1a SETS ye Sa ari = p44 aa ch eal aps ; ‘eae whoru) wileqese te peaet tind Pian gituttiy ery te came Point. 5 Oe eae ‘ 4 Aint Sestcnon Eten! gomlest ty soroamnss At ne st tigal ‘os aati le Daajaben, oy MORE hor egmieimaaes Sega Paks ae Sy eee cansht fed iguaen, eae ei ps4! Fas lank 2 vagehe vis OL oe are te hg patente 8 iad fo Eg ee ght Venel, . S # ot ve Gis. : j ois ita feaekaeg As: ipa tact PRUE rie Se de cv - Shure sar sone ads ja < 2a a Ss PLATE. XV M1 Hanhart imp DIDUS INEPTUS Trans Zo Yoo WAG Hh } W Wact: mp , ae hee : vi ; 2 ay Oh a) ' . ’ jilm Seba oe MLAs " ‘ . : t aan vie Ay i's ~ . \ al N . * ; = ‘ ‘ ‘ f ; , 4 ‘ - : j © 2 \ 7 i S = ‘= a Lynd Loot ooh oPE 17 From nat on Stone by J Erxleben M&M Manhavt, imp W West: up + te suT at bs , tee ga al , » ] -y for OV 7 We GDUWM LOC J pIyn7 ly /) TG Lf GC Ds GOVAM:< We aH, From sw on Stone by JE: ber \ sw on Stone by Erxleben MN Hanhart amp . LO OGY AK Ioan DZ: Vit JbOCMOTEA Fue 2 Fu 5 J-Smit jith ior spe ba ind) hith S. pratt J 43, nat. SUye u B 3 5 x M&N Hanhert amp from nat on stone by J Erdeben pT sy a. IV. Description of the Skeleton of Inia geoffrensis and of the Skull of Pontoporia blainvillii, with Remarks on the Systematic Position of these Animals in the Order Ceracea. By Witiiam Henry Fiower, F.RS., FRCS, F.Z.S8., &c., Conservator of the Museum of the Royal College of' Surgeons of England. Read November 22nd, 1866, [Puates XXV. to XXVIII] I. On the Skeleton of Inia geoffrensis. Or the several species of Cetaceans which are inhabitants of the waters of the Amazon and its great tributary streams, one has particularly attracted the attention of zoologists on account of certain peculiarities of its external conformation and of its skull and teeth, the only parts of its structure hitherto described. The Jnia, so called by M. Alcide d’Orbigny, from the name by which the animal is known to one of the Indian tribes of Bolivia, is chiefly characterized by the long, narrow, and almost cylindrical rostrum, furnished with scattered, stout and crisp hairs, by the broad, long, and obtuse pectoral fins, by the dorsal fin reduced to a mere ridge, and especially by the development of a large lobe on the inner side of all the posterior teeth. The species is mentioned by Spix and Martius* as Delphinus amazonicus ; but for the most complete account of its external characters, habits, and geographical distribu- tion we are indebted to d’Orbigny, who described it under the name of Inia boliviensist. He also gives a figure of the animal, and a side view of a skull which he brought home and deposited in the Museum at the Jardin des Plantes, with some details of the teeth. I will quote from this memoir two observations—the first referring to the habits, the second to the structure of this singular Cetacean:—‘ Toutes ces observations nous font regarder cette espéce comme ayant des mceurs beaucoup plus terrestres qu’aucune des espéces connues.”—- Tous ces caractéres réunis a uhe dorsale peu apparente, nous font proposer la formation d’un nouveau genre, qui etablerait le passage entre les sousous [ Platanista| et les stelléres” [Sirenia). * Reise in Brasil. t. iii. pp. 1119 & 1183 (1831). Von Martius states that his Delphinus amazonicus agrees very closely with Desmarest’s description of D. geoffroyi, and even suggests that it may possibly belong to the same species. His description of the teeth is sufficient to determine the animal spoken of; but ‘he says “pinna dorsalis distincta, elata.” Perhaps he has here confounded it with some of the other species of fresh- water dolphins of the Amazon, the existence of which he did not suspect. The rude little figure he gives (fig. 34) more resembles Delphinus fluviatilis (Gervais) of Castelnau’s Voyage than the Inia. + Nouy. Ann. Mus. Paris, tom, iil. p. 23 (1834). VOL. Vi.—PART III. 0 88 MR. W. H. FLOWER ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF In the Zoology of d@Orbigny’s ‘ Voyage en Amérique méridionale,’ “‘ Mammiféres,” by d’Orbigny and Gervais (1847), more careful figures both of the upper and lateral sur- face, and of the teeth, of the same skull are given (pl. 22), but unaccompanied by any further description. It is, however, suggested that the animal belongs to the same species as a stuffed and painted specimen received at the Paris Museum from the Musée d’Ajuda at Lisbon among the spoils of Napoleon’s Peninsular campaign, and described by de Blainville in the Article “Dauphin” in the ‘Nouveau Dictionnaire d'Histoire Naturelle,’ t. ix. p. 151 (1817), as Delphinus geoffrensis, and subsequently by Desmarest* as D. geoffroyi. In a later notice by Professor Gervais, in the Zoology of Castelnau’s ‘ Expédition dans les parties centrales de l’Amérique du Sud,’ “‘ Mammiferes,” p. 90 (1855), this sup- sition is confirmed, and the name Jnia geoffrensis definitively adopted. In this notice some further details are given respecting the original skull brought home by d’Orbigny ; and a new figure of the external appearance of the animal is added, differing chiefly from that of d’Orbigny in the position of the pectoral limb. A few years ago that enterprising naturalist Mr. H. W. Bates obtained at Ega two skulls, which are now in the British Museum. Of one of these, Dr. Gray has given the dimensions }. According to information received from my friend Dr. Peters, there is in the Ana- tomical Museum at Berlin a skull brought home by Natterer. No description of this, however, has been published. In the early part of the present year Mr. Edward Bartlett, while collecting zoological specimens on the upper Amazon, above Nauta, succeeded, after encountering many diffi- culties, in obtaining a complete animal, the carefully prepared skeleton of which has now been purchased for our National Collection. For the opportunity of examining and describing this rare and interesting specimen, before it was deposited in the Museum, I am indebted to the kindness of Dr. Gray. The skeleton is that of a young animal, the epiphyses being not united to the bodies of the vertebre from the axis to the tenth caudal; but the arches have completely coalesced with the bodies throughout the spinal column, The head of the humerus still retains its epiphysial condition. The total length of the living animal, judging from the skull and vertebra, and allowing for the intervertebral spaces, would be but little more than 5’, the skull being 16:4". The specimen. obtained by dOrbigny is stated to have measured 2™-4=6! 8" Eng., and its skull is 0™-48 or 19". The skulls collected by Mr. Bates indicate animals of still larger size, the one being 19:4”, the other 20-7" long. The skull at Berlin, as Professor Peters has informed me, is 193" Eng. in length. Martius states the length of the animal to be from 7 to 8 feet. Finally, Castelnau gives 2™:80 or 8! 4" as the length of an individual taken at Nauta. * Mammalogie, p. 512 (1822). + Catalogue of Seals and Whales in the British Museum, p. 227 (1866). INIA GEOFFRENSIS AND PONTOPORIA BLAINVILLII. 89 As Inia has always been supposed to have certain affinities with Platanista, 1 have in the following description compared the different bones with those of that sin- gularly modified Cetacean on the one hand, and of several of the ordinary Delphinide on the other. Fortunately the Museum of the College of Surgeons contains a skeleton of the Gangetic Dolphin of nearly corresponding age with the subject of the present communication, and I have also had frequently to refer to Eschricht’s valuable memoir upon the species *, The leading features of the skull have already been made known by d’Orbigny and Gervais ; but I am able to add some further details regarding its structure, A comparison of the two skulls at the British Museum sent by Mr. Bates, with the present example, shows only such differences as might be expected from the greater age of the former, such as a more marked development of the ridges and prominences in proportion to the size of the brain-case. The postnarial prominence especially is more elevated and angular in the older specimens. The teeth differ somewhat in number, as will be mentioned further on. The principal dimensions of the three skulls are as follows :— Collected by Mr, Bates, npn Mr. Bartlett. a, . a eee ss ST |e] ey eT EximeMeslensuieeen aver ete rc. echoes eet rae hee 20°77!" 19-4" 16-7" Length of rostrum (from anterior end of premaxillary to bottom of antorbital notch of maxillary)....... ............ wala) Low 12°7 11:0 From anterior end of premaxillary to lower edge of nasal bones .|_ 16-7 15-7 136 From anterior end of premaxillary to hinder edge of palate 15°7 t 126 Greatest breadth, across zygomatic processes of squamosals 9-4 8-1 7:0 Breadth of foramen magnum..........e.00--.0 seceeeee ee. 1-4 1-2 1:3 Breadth of the occipital condyles .......... 00 ..ce sc cses cess 3:2 3:0 2:9 Breadth across antorbital processes of frontals................ 6-1 5:3 45 Breadth of rostrum at base (bottom of antorbital notches off Rip tl haut) MAGE Domai Sere POONER, meee ee mee ee eee 4:2 3:5 3:1 Breadth of rostrum at middle ............. tépepmoengaee 5 14 12 aE Miemidible lengthy psjists oes Sep Bhs tarts eae sete sce. Seed ot 18-2 17-0 14-2 HSM OUR OL MYM PLVAIG ls ctor ns) 4 dics nieve, seach tee 9:8 9-4 73 Greatest breadth across the posterior ends of the rami..,... .... 8°7 73 65 Height of ramus at coronoid process... ......0..0eec. ee veee 3-9 3:4 29 | The want of symmetry so prevalent in the skulls of Dolphins is but slightly marked. It can, however, be detected in a slight twist to the right of the hinder part of the narrow median space between the premaxillary bones, and in the greater elevation on the same side of the postnarial prominence of the frontal bones, Both maxillary and premaxillary bones extend backwards to an equal extent on the two sides, In the cranium of the young specimen which forms the subject of the present commu- * “Om Gangesdelphinen,” Trans, Roy. Dan, Acad, 1851, Translated in Ann, & Mag. Nat. Hist. for March 1852, + Broken, 02 90 MR. WH. FLOWER ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF nication (see Platés XX'V. & XXVI,), the elements of the occipital bone have completely coalesced with each other and with the basisphenoid, and partially with the parietals. The foramen magnum is subcircular, the greatest vertical and transverse diameters being exactly equal; but it is rather broader above than below. Its plane is nearly vertical when the skull is held horizontally. The condyles are large and prominent ; they do not meet below by a space of ‘7". In the middle line on the supraoccipital, just above the margin of the foramen magnum, is a deep triangular depression, continuous with a broad and shallow median groove which ascends nearly to the vertex, and with lateral grooves which pass outwards above the upper edge of the condyles to the concave surface of the ‘exoccipitals.. In the lower part of the median groove the surface of the bone is very rough, being channelled out for a plexus of blood-vessels; and there are several rounded perforations, one of them as much as ‘l" in diameter, by which these vessels would apparently communicate with the interior of the cranial cavity. Corresponding to this groove, on the inner side, is a median bony ridge, but there is no transverse tentorial ossification. The lateral boundaries of the supraoccipitals are raised into strong narrow ridges, on the summit of which the occipito-parietal suture is situated. These are nearly parallel until they come opposite to the posterior angle of the maxillaries; then they rapidly converge, enclosing a triangle with a truncated apex which projects forward into the high postnarial eminence of the frontals. The temporal fossa, as noticed by d’Orbigny, is very much larger in proportion to the size of the.cranium than in any other Dolphin, except Platanista, not only occupying a larger space on the lateral surface of the skull, but being prolonged forward at the expense of the orbit. Its form is that of a long oval, with the small end turned forwards. Its posterior nearly semicircular boundary is formed by the ridge, before spoken of, at the junction of the occipital with the squamosal and parietal. ‘The superior border, continued forwards from the latter, is a nearly straight, sharp, thin crest, projecting outwards and upwards, 3" long, and averaging more than half an inch in height, formed by the maxillary uniting with the edge of ‘the frontal, and posteriorly with the parietal. The inferior border is formed by a long and strong zygomatic process of the squamosal, approaching, but not equalling, that of Platanista in size, and a triangular pointed postorbital process of the frontal,-7" in length, and directed backwards and downwards, but which does not meet the process of the squamosal, by a space equal to its own length. In Platanista there is no space or postorbital process, the anterior end of the prodigiously developed zygomatic process of the squamosal reaching so far forward as even to be lodged in a hollow in that part of the orbital plate of the frontal from which such a process is usually developed. . The bones. which enter into the formation of the temporal fossa resemble in their number and arrangement those of the true Dolphins rather than of Platanista. ‘The parietal appears in the shape of a wide arch, receiving in its concavity the squamosal, and articulating for a space of ‘6" with the well-developed alisphenoid, thus completely INIA GEOFFRENSIS AND PONTOPORIA. BLAINVILLII. 91 shutting off the.squamosal from the frontal; whereas in Platanista the last-named bones unite for a considerable distance below the pointed anterior end of the somewhat triangular parietal, and the alisphenoid does not appear in the fossa at all. The orbit, in its structure, as well as its size, is intermediate between that of Pla- tanista and Delphinus. Its antero-posterior diameter is 1". The malar bone is shorter and more thick and tuberous than in the Dolphins generally, and contributes chiefly to the formation of the prominent rounded antorbital eminence. The ends of the styli- form processes are unfortunately broken off; but the portions that remain adhere to the form prevalent among the Delphinide. In the larger skull in the British Museum this process on one side is 1" long, and appears to have a free, natural, rounded termi- nation, not uniting, by.a very considerable interval, with the zygomatic process of the squamosal. If this is constantly the case, Zvia presents, in this respect, a remarkable exception to all other Dolphins. There is no distinct lachrymal bone. The upper surface of the facial portion of the skull behind the rostrum is longer and narrower than in the Delphinide generally. It is distinctly bounded on each side by the sharp, straight, and nearly parallel crest before spoken of as forming the upper margin of the temporal fossa. Within these crests, on each side, the narrow upward prolongations of the maxillaries are deeply hollowed. ‘Their hinder edge extends an inch further back than the anterior apex of the supraoccipital, and they curve inwards round the top of the premaxillaries to articulate with the nasals, and enter for a small space, between these bones and the premaxillaries, into the formation of the lateral boundaries of the narial opening. It is the narrowness and excavation, combined with the straightness and elevation of the outer borders, of the maxillaries, which gives the peculiar character to the upper surface of the skull of /néa as compared with that of Delphinus. The difference is only one of arrangement of the same parts; there is nothing superadded like the extraordinary outgrowths upon the maxille of Platanista. Immediately behind the narial opening is a somewhat square-shaped elevation, rising vertically in front, sloping behind, and hollowed out and overhanging at. the sides, formed chiefly of the frontal bones, and suggestive of the peculiar elevation of this part so characteristic of the Ziphioids. ‘The nasal bones are applied to the front wall of this elevation, but do not reach the top of it. In general form they are irregularly quadrilateral, prominent and thick near their longest, straight, inner border, where they meet each other in the middle line, and deeply hollowed and notched in their upper and lower margins. Their shorter, but straight and thick, outer border articulates with the maxillary. Above and below they are bounded by the frontal, on which they rest. The greatest length of each bone is 9", the greatest breadth ‘7. They present no marked deviation from bilateral symmetry. Attached to the upper outer angle of each, and lodged in the groove between the frontal and maxillary, is a minute oval bone, -25" long, apparently originally distinct, though now partially united with the nasal; and their inferior internal angles rest upon a median single triangular piece, °3'' 92 MR. W. H. FLOWER ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF broad and -25" high, distinctly separated by a suture from the frontals. It will be seen from the above description that the nasals are extremely different from those of most of the Delphinide, in which they are generally reduced to irregular, oval, unsymmetrical nodules. Phocena, however, differs from its allies in this respect, and closely approxi- mates to Inia. In Platanista also the nasal bones are well-developed flattened plates ; but they partake of the great elongation, narrowness, and lateral distortion which per- vades this region of the skull. The opening formed by the junction of the anterior nares is 1” long, and the same width posteriorly. It is bounded laterally and in front by two very prominent, rounded, longitudinal elevations, formed by a thickening of the premaxillaries, like that seen in this region in Phocena and Beluga, but considerably more marked. No part of the maxillaries comes to the surface in the middle line in front of the narial aperture as in many of the Delphinide (e. g. Globiocephalus). The rostrum is exceedingly long and narrow, and, except at its base, much compressed. The diminution of its breadth takes place rapidly for the first fourth of its length, but for the remaining portion only very gradually. The bone of which it is composed is of dense texture; and, even in this young subject, the sutures between the premaxillaries and maxillaries are almost obliterated. The width of the premaxillaries scarcely alters through their entire length, their outer boundaries being parallel, and the general diminution in the breadth of the rostrum taking place solely at the expense of the maxillaries. There is a narrow interval throughout in the middle line between the premaxillaries, and the subjacent cavity for the median ethmoid cartilage is not filled up with bone as in many of the Ziphiine. On each side of the inferior surface of the rostrum (Plate XX VI. fig. 1) the alveolar tract, marked by the row of deep and distinctly separated tooth-sockets, extends from the apex to 12” from the bottom of the antorbital notch. Between these tracts the palatine surface is quite flat, and in the anterior three-fourths slightly raised above their level. At the middle of the rostrum it is only -4" wide, but gradually expands posteriorly. Between the two maxillary bones, in the median line is a narrow fissure, in which, 1 behind the middle of the rostrum, a thin strip of the vomer ‘appears, and continues visible as far as the posterior edge of the palate. The remarkable conformation of the bones of the hinder part of the palatial region in the Gangetic Dolphin has been well described by Eschricht, who pointed out that the great lamella of bone which continues backwards the palatine portion of the maxillaries, and passes outwards and upwards to articulate with the squamosals and frontals, is really the pterygoid, and not the palatine as Cuvier supposed*. The easily separable condition of the bones of the young Platanista skull in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons has enabled me to confirm Eschricht’s view; for on removing this plate the true palatine is seen, forming as usual the greater part of the anterior and * Ossemens Fossiles, 4me édit. (1836) tome viii. p, 130, INIA GEOFFRENSIS AND PONTOPORIA BLAINVILLII. 93 outer wall of the nasal passage, but not entering in the slightest degree into the com- position of the free surface of the bony palate. In this disposition of the palatine and pterygoid bones Platanista stands alone among Cetaceans; even Inia presents no approximation to it. There are, however, in the latter genus some peculiarities in this region by which it may be distinguished from the ordinary Dolphins. Behind the posterior pair of teeth the palate loses its flatness, and begins to rise to a ridge in the middle line and slope away at the sides towards the roof of the orbits. The summit of the ridge is formed by the vomer, which is quite uncovered in the middle line by the palate-bones. The inner edges of these bones, applied to the surface of the vomer, are distinctly marked, and posteriorly are -4" distant from each other. The suture between them and the maxillaries is completely obliterated, so that their limits forwards and outwards cannot be definitely stated. As in the ordinary Dolphins, the palatines have each an outstanding, nearly vertical, plate running outwards and backwards, unattached posteriorly, and forming the upper part (in the natural position of the skull) of the outer wall of the chamber which lodges the great post- palatine air-sinus. This plate is slightly developed and very thin, perforated by numerous large lacune, and, owing to the non-development of the outer reflected portion of the pterygoids, is completely free along its inferior edge. The pterygoids are comparatively simple, and also very thin and lacunated. As usual, the upper or attached portion forms a ridge along the side of the cranium, continuous posteriorly with the ridge on the side of the basisphenoid, which forms the inner wall of the cavity for the lodgment of the ear-bones. This portion articulates by nearly the whole of its inner edge with the hinder expanded part of the vomer, and externally with the alisphenoid and orbitosphenoid. From its anterior part springs the recurved descending plate which bounds externally the posterior nares, and, then turning inwards and backwards, forms the anterior wall of these passages below the palatines. This last-named plate of the pterygoid forms the hinder part of the bony palate; anteriorly it lies on the hinder free edge of the inferior surface of the vomer, but does not quite cover it to the middle line; behind the vomer it diverges rather more from its fellow, leaving a gap of from 1" to -2" in breadth. Posteriorly each terminates by a concave free margin. The third portion of the pterygoid, which exists in all ordinary Dolphins (excluding the Physeteridw), and which when present completely conceals that last described, being reflected from its hinder and inner edge outwards and upwards to meet the edge of the projecting plate of the palatine, and so close in the postpalatine sinus below, is wanting in Jnia, or only represented in the osseous cranium by some small irregular body-excrescences. ‘he result is that the cavity for the sinus is widely open below. It might be conjectured that this plate, being thin, brittle, and much exposed to injury during the process of cleaning the skull, had been broken away. It is certainly possible that such is the case; 94 MR. W. H. FLOWER ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF but as the adult and apparently perfect skull from Ega, in the British Museum, shows a precisely similar condition to that above described*, it is probable that, if ossification takes place at all, it is of a very imperfect character. Both petro-tympanic bones are unfortunately absent from the skull. ‘The fossa at the base of the cranium for. their lodgment is shallow, and the aperture left in the cranial wall by their removal large, compared with that in an ordinary Dol- phin. It is irregular, circular, and averages 1" in diameter. In the largest skull in the British Museum these bones are present, and enter considerably into the forma- tion of the cranial wall, the inner and upper surface of the petrosal being seen in the interior of the cerebral cavity, on a level with the internal surface of the other bonesf. One circumstance in which the petro-tympanic bones of Inia differ from those of Platanista is their loose connexion with the rest of the cranium; for they are only attached by ligament, as in Delphinus, and not locked in their place by a process of the mastoid. In general form the tympanic bull resemble those of Delphinus, though they are larger than in a member of that genus of corresponding size, and have their anterior (Eustachian) extremity rather more prolonged and pointed, though to a far less degree than in Platanista. ‘Their antero-posterior length in the adult skull is 1:65", their greatest breadth 1-1". The mandible presents a remarkable miniature resemblance to that of a Cachalot. It differs from the mandible of all the true Delphinide by the great length, narrowness, and shallowness of the symphysial portion, which includes three-fourths of the tooth- bearing part of the rami. The consequence is that the hinder parts of the rami diverge much more rapidly from each other than in the true Dolphins. The coronoid process is unusually elevated. The lower jaw of Platanista, as is well known, presents all these characters, but in a much more exaggerated degree. The characteristics of the teeth have been well described by d’Orbigny and Gervais. They are distinguished from those of all other Cetaceans by the peculiar and very * In the smaller skull in the same Collection nearly the whole of the pterygoids have been destroyed. + After noticing that in certain Delphinoids the aperture left between the hinder edge of the alisphe- noid, the exoccipital, basioccipital, and basisphenoid is exceedingly small, so that the tympano-periotic is still more shut out from the cranial cavity than in Bulena, Professor Huxley remarks that “in Platanista the aperture is large, and the periotie appears in the interior of the cranial cavity in the ordinary way ” (Ele- ments of Comparative Anatomy, 1864, p. 276). This is certainly the case in the two small Platanista skulls in the Museum of the College of Surgeons, upon which the observation was founded ; but it is worthy of note that in a large and apparently aged skull of an individual of the same genus in the British Museum the periotic bones are completely shut out of the cerebral cavity by the excessive development of the proper cranial bones, and communicate with it only by a narrow passage fully an inch in length. Whether this difference depends on age or on species I cannot at present determine ; but it shows that the relative position of these bones to the rest of the cranium may yary, even in most closely allied forms, _ INIA GEOFFRENSIS AND PONTOPORIA BLAINVILLIL. 95 marked rugosity of the surface of their crowns*, and especially by the broad, rounded lobe, developed on the inner side of the base of the crown of those situated in the pos- terior part of both upper and lower jaws (see Plate XXVI. figs1, 2 & 3). In the anterior two-thirds they are simple, conical, and slightly incurved. They gradually increase in size from the front of the jaws until the fourth from the posterior end of the series, after which they diminish again. Unlike those of most Dolphins, the teeth are implanted by large and generally somewhat twisted and flattened fangs (in the hinder teeth very wide transversely), which fit so tightly into deep alveoli that it is almost im- possible to extract them, even in the dried skull, without injury to the bone. When the mouth is shut they fit closely into the interspaces of the opposite series; but there is little sign of attrition to be seen anywhere on their surface. » The number of the teeth in the different specimens of Jnia examined shows a conside- rable range of variation, presuming that they all belong to one species. In the one now described there are ze 104. The larger specimen in the British Museum from Ega has r= 109, and also two minute rudimentary teeth in the gum behind the last in the left maxilla. In the smaller skull from the same place there are oe = 110. In the skull in the Paris Museum, brought by d’Orbigny, there are, : = EES 5 : P according to Gervais, 7;—3,=132 ; but in the type specimen in the same museum, taken from Lisbon, the number is given by de Blainville as 5->,=104. In the Berlin skull the teeth are = ” =131f. Von Martius in his diagnosis of the species gives a= 114. ae 3332 29-2 The bones of the hyoid apparatus scarcely differ from those of the ordinary Dol- phins. Their general form is shown in the figures (Pl. XX VI. figs. 4 & 5) at half their natural size. The basihyal and thyrohyals are not yet united by continuous ossifica- tion. ‘The stylohyals are thick, subcylindrical, slightly curved, and somewhat flattened towards the ends. Antero-posterior diameter of the basihyal .................... 1-0 BEATISVETSCAOIMMICLED ars css eclsioccessscceceseostonseseacsecocsorssss 1°3 WE MEIC HEGHIUN AN ns ccuuacer semen evensacniwenssscstecsenssates 2:0 GCANCA AD LEAAU Meera ca scot samceas Heistellisiecess asics cledssiensatsecss 0°6 Distance between the outer extremities of the thyrohyals... 3-4 Menor neo sty lOlyallrena. emer eccaceMeacdtere cis csccescsees secre: 2:7 KGeaTeStaLHICKTICSS screen ca tanneries ace ceeten cca cm cics cree 0-4 The spinal column (PI. XXV. figs. 1 & 2) appears complete to the end of the tail, and consists of but 41 vertebra, the smallest number known in any Cetaceanf. Of these, * Some Dolphins of the genus Steno of Gray present a similar though far less marked rugosity; and indi- cations of it are seen in young specimens of Orca and Pseudorca. + Peters, in a letter. + As the bones had been separated from each other adncleaned at the time that they came into my hands for VOL. VI.—PART III. Lie 96 MR. W. H. FLOWER ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF 7 belong to the cervical, 13 to the thoracic, and 21 to the lumbo-caudal region. When the vertebre are placed in order, with their bodies in contact, the whole column mea- sures 38°8". The cervical region, as in Platanista, occupies a larger proportional space than in most other Cetaceans, being 33" long, or ;§3a of the whole column. In a common Por- poise, measured for the purpose of comparison, it is but ~jO>- All the vertebra are distinct, as in Platanista, Beluga, and Monodon alone among toothed Whales. The atlas (Pl. XXVII. fig. 1), very large for the size of the animal, greatly resembles that of Platanista, but is higher in proportion to its breadth. Its neural arch is strong, and has on its upper surface a slight longitudinal ridge representing the spine. ‘The base of the arch is not perforated as in many Cetaceans, and the groove for the sub- occipital nerve is but slightly marked, On each side, between the anterior and pos- terior articular surfaces, are two rounded eminences, the rudiments of an upper and lower transverse process. In Platanista there is only a single intermediate process (which Eschricht considers to represent the lower process), but it is developed to a much greater length. In Beluga both processes are present as in Jnia, and upon corresponding parts of the surface of the bone. As in the other Odontoceti having a free atlas, there is a strong process developed from the hinder edge of the lower arch of the bone, which passes under and articulates with the inferior surface of the axis (see Pl. XXV. fig. 2). This is bifid at the extremity, and much more powerfully developed than in the young Platanista which served for comparison. The axis has a massive body, and a high neural arch. There is no distinct odontoid process, but only a general (though strongly marked) prominence of the anterior surface of the body, especially towards its lower margin. On the under surface of this there is a large rounded articular facet for the inferior process of the atlas. This is continuous at the sides with the anterior articular facets, and would indicate a tolerably free motion between the first two bones of the neck. In Platanista this anterior projection of the body of the axis is still more strongly marked, forming a process quite comparable with the “odontoid” of other Mammalia. In Beluga it is almost wanting. The other pro- cesses of this vertebra differ somewhat in detail from those of Platanista. 'The spinous process is broad and bifid; the posterior zygapophyses are much less prominent, and their surfaces look more backwards. A proper transverse process can scarcely be said to exist. There are, however, instead of the single, conical, backward-directed process of Plata- nista, slight rudiments of an upper and a lower process, with a groove between them, on the hinder surface of the lateral wings of the bone which support the great articular facets for the atlas. The posterior epiphysis of the body was not ankylosed. description, I must admit the possibility of some of them being lost; but the circumstances under which the skeleton was prepared render this, at the least, extremely improbable. When it arrived in this country the vertebra were all united by their natural ligaments, Unfortunately they were not counted when in this state. INIA GEOFFRENSIS AND PONTOPORIA BLAINVILLII. 97 The remaining five cervical vertebree are compressed in the antero-posterior direction, but less so than in most Cetaceans. They do not present the peculiar depression and transverse extension characteristic of the cervical vertebrae of Platanista, but their bodies are nearly circular in outline, and the height of the neural canal bears a more considerable proportion to its breadth. The bodies increase but very slightly in thickness from before backwards. The arches are wide and low, their sides meeting above at very obtuse angle, and so narrow in the antero-posterior direction as to leave spaces between them about equal to their own breadth. They increase but very slightly in height from the third to the seventh, and possess but a mere rudiment of a spine, scarcely recognizable in the third, and but -2" in height in the seventh. The anterior and posterior articular facets of the arches are well developed in all, and have their usual relations. The transverse processes are, as usual, two on each side, upper and lower; the upper springs from the arch, the lower from the body of the vertebra. In the third vertebra these two are very near together, and approximate at their ends so as to enclose an oval foramen or canal -2" in its greatest diameter. On the left side this canal is com- pletely surrounded by bone; on the right side it is not quite completely inclosed. In Geluga similar rings are formed by the transverse processes of this vertebra, also in the Platanista described by Eschricht, though in the College specimen there is but a single broad imperforate transverse process. In the fourth vertebra the processes are wider apart, short, and obtuse, and of about equal length; a small elevation rises from the side of the body of the bone, midway between them. In the fifth vertebra they are still wider apart, ‘owing to the upper one, which is short and conical, rising higher on the side of the arch. The lower process is much larger, stouter, rounded at the end, and directed backwards. Although upwards of 4" long, it was evidently not fully deve- loped in this immature individual, being tipped with cartilage. The prominence of this process, contrasting with the almost rudimentary condition of all the others, is a marked characteristic of the cervical region. In Platanista and Beluga, as in most other Mammalia, it is the sixth vertebra which has the most largely developed inferior transverse process, in the former very remarkably so. It is worthy of note, however, that the Dugong (Halicore) agrees with Jnia in this respect, as well as in many other of the characters of the neck-vertebre. In the sixth vertebra, both upper and lower processes are small and conical. In the seventh vertebra the upper process is more developed; the lower one still exists, but in quite a rudimentary state ; behind it is a shallow excavation for the head of the first rib. The lamine of the arch of this vertebra are wider than in the others; its spine, as before said, is slightly higher; and the posterior surface of its body is transversely extended. The thirteen thoracic vertebree measure in length when placed in close contact 12-5". Their bodies increase at first rapidly, then more gradually in length—the first mea- P2 98 MR. W. H. FLOWER ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF suring *5", the sixth ‘9’, and the last 1:2”. Their arches are surmounted by rather long, erect, and (especially in the hinder part of the region) very broad spines trun- cated at the top. The antero-posterior breadth of these processes presents a constant relation to the length of the body, being always nearly equal with it, and forms rather a remarkable feature in the general aspect of the vertebral column. The height of the spine of the first thoracic vertebra is scarcely inferior to that of the others, which are almost precisely equal. In the sixth, from the inferior edge of the body to the junc- tion of the lamine of the arch measures 1:6"; the spine above this point is 2-2". Distinct articular facets or zygapophyses are developed on both the anterior and pos- terior edges of the arches as far as the ninth vertebra, and on the anterior edge only of the tenth and eleventh. These, as usual, are broad and wide apart at the commencement of the series, and gradually become narrow and approximated as they shift from the sides to the summit of the progressively diminishing neural arch. The so-called oblique processes (metapophyses of Owen) begin to separate them- selves from the transverse processes at the fifth or sixth vertebra, and gradually pass upwards and inwards on the anterior edge of the arch towards the prozygapo- physes, which they supersede on the twelfth vertebra. Owing to the comparatively slight development both of these processes and the zygapophyses, the thoracic vertebre of Inia are not locked together in the manner which distinguishes those of Platanista. It remains only to speak of the processes for the articulation of the ribs, which offer some interesting peculiarities. In all the ordinary Delphinidw the anterior ribs are articulated by their tubercle to a well-developed transverse process standing out from the side of the arch, and by a long neck to the hinder edge of the body or root of the arch of the antecedent vertebra. ‘There is usually no indication of any articular surface for the head of its own rib on the front edge of the body of the vertebra. At about the middle of the series the heads suddenly cease to be developed, and the rib is only attached by its tubercle to the end of the transverse process, still arising from the arch, but gradually lengthening and becoming lower in its point of origin, till at the end of the series it springs rather from the body of the vertebra than from the arch, and is in a line with the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebree. This arrangement, departing con- siderably from that found in the ordinary mammal, occurs in Delphinus, Phocena, Orca, Globiocephalus, Beluga, Monodon, and their immediate allies—in fact, in all the Del- phinide which have ossified costal ribs. In the remarkably aberrant Hyperoodon and Physeter a totally different arrangement takes place in the hinder part of the dorsal region, which, however, is equally peculiar among the Mammalia. The upper transverse processes springing from the arch (diapophyses, Owen) suddenly cease, and the rib retains its connexion with the body only: the articular surfaces of the latter push out a process (which, on Owen’s system, would be called a parapophysis), at the end of which the rib - is attached, and which becomes the transverse process, being continuous serially with the transverse processes of the lumber region. In the first case, the transverse process on the INIA GEOFFRENSIS AND PONTOPORIA BLAINVILLII. 99 body of the last dorsal vertebra is arrived at by a gradual lowering of the transverse process of the arch of the first; in the second it is a new process, first appearing on the body rather abruptly, as the process on the arch ceases, but for the space of two or three verte- bre coexisting with it, as in the cervical region: or, to explain the case in other words, the anterior ribs in both have an upper and a lower connexion with the vertebre ; in the first instance they lose their lower connexion by the non-development of their neck and head, but the gradual lowering of the transverse process brings the headless rib again in connexion with the body, by the intervention of a long straight process; in the second instance they always retain their lower connexion, but the development of a process out of the articular surface of the body, with concurrent shortening of the neck of the rib, and disappearance of the upper process of the vertebra, produces an exactly similar result. In Jnia the mode of attachment of the ribs is, as far as I know, peculiar among Cetaceans, being intermediate between the two distinct forms above described, and far more resembling that which obtains in the Sirenia and the terrestrial mammals. The anterior vertebra have as usual a tolerably well-developed, thick and rounded transverse process, springing from the arch at the junction of the pedicle with the lamina, and pointing upwards and forwards, with a large articular facet at its extremity; this process gradually becomes shorter, till in the seventh vertebra little more than the articular facet remains on the side of the arch. On each side of the body of the first vertebra are two distinct articular facets, each receiving part of the head of the first and second ribs respectively. The same occurs in the two following vertebree, though the facets are less distinctly marked, the head of the rib apparently articulating chiefly to the inter- vertebral substance in front of its own vertebra. In the fourth, and more distinctly in the fifth and succeeding vertebrie, there is a strongly-marked articular facet on the anterior edge of the body, while that on the posterior edge has entirely disappeared (a condition, it will be observed, never found in the true Delphinide). Hereafter each rib is solely articulated to its own vertebra, and its lower attachment becomes moved by degrees from the anterior edge to the middle of the body. As far as the seventh vertebra the rib has a double attachment; but in the eighth the upper and lower arti- cular surfaces (that on the arch and that on the body) have coalesced, though the part that originally belonged to the transverse process and that on the body are distinctly recognizable. ‘This coalescence, however, becomes more complete; and, by the diminu- tion of its upper part, the articular facet, at first elongated vertically, becomes oval in the opposite direction in the eleventh vertebra, and also begins to rise out from the body as a short thick process. This process is somewhat elongated and flattened in the twelfth, and notably so in the thirteenth vertebra; and at the same time the articular surface be- comes gradually reduced in size, corresponding with that of the head of the rib. We have thus among the toothed Whales a third method by which the transformation from the first thoracic vertebra with its doubly attached rib, to the last with its singly attached 100 MR. W. H. FLOWER ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF rib, is effected, not in this case by the disappearance of either the lower or the upper attachment, but by their gradual coalescence. In Platanista the attachment of the ribs is again different in detail, being something between that found in the true Delphinide and in Inia. Fach of the first seven ribs is attached to the transverse process of its own vertebra and to the body chiefly of the preceding vertebra; but the transverse processes differ from those of the Del- phinide in being very short, and in being more rapidly transferred down to the bodies; indeed this takes place as early as the sixth vertebra, and before the disap- pearance of the articular facet for the head of the rib, leading to a blending of the two articulations in one as in Jnia. The remaining vertebre (lumbo-caudal) are twenty-one in number. In accordance with the usual (and most correct custom) of reckoning the caudal region of the Cetacea as commencing with the first vertebra which bears a chevron bone*, there are but three, or at most four, vertebrae, which can properly be called lumbar. The uncertainty rests upon the difficulty of determining, in a skeleton of which the bones are all separated, and in which, owing to its immaturity, the articular surfaces and processes are not very distinctly marked, to which of the vertebra the first (always very small) pair of hema- pophyses was attached. I think, however, that there can be little doubt that the fourth of the vertebree behind the thoracic region did bear such bones, not only from indications on its own surface, but also because the facets on the hinder edge of the under surface of the fifth are too strongly pronounced to be the attachments of the small first pair. Taking, then, the true lumbar vertebre at only three, Jia presents * As a uniform system of nomenclature in enumerating the vertebre of Cetacea is very desirable, it is to be regretted that Eschricht and Reinhardt, in their most recent works on Cetology, should have given the weight of their high authority to reckoning as the last of the lumbar vertebre the one immediately preceding the first chevron bone, and which has commonly been regarded as the first caudal. The only reason given for this change is, that “the anus, which may justly be said to mark externally the limits between the abdomen and the tail, is situated directly beneath the first chevron bone” !, This, however, does not prove the case ; for if we look at the skeleton of any terrestrial mammal in which the distinction between the different regions of the vertebral column is definitely marked, we may see that the commencement of the caudal region is situated some way in front of the position of the anus. We ought rather, according to this criterion, to reckon two or three of the vertebrae in the Cetacea commonly called lumbar to the region of the tail,—a view further strengthened by the fact that, in the ordinary mammals, the chevron bones, when present, begin generally not on the first, but on the second or third caudal vertebra. Such a division would, however, be quite impracticable. Bach cheyron bone belongs essentially to the vertebra in front of it. This is most clearly seen when they are small, as in the commencement of the series. In the skeleton of a Physeter that I lately examined, the first is even ankylosed to the posterior edge of the body of its proper vertebra, and has no connexion with that behind it. Itis quite certain that any vertebra bearing a chevron bone cannot consistently be regarded as one of the lumbar series. We may therefore conyeniently reckon the first vertebra which is so distinguished as the com- mencement of the caudal region. 1 Recent Memoirs on the Cetacea, published by the Ray Society, 1866: Eschricht and Reinhardt on the Greenland Whale; p. 105; and Reinhardt on Pseudorca crassidens, p. 204. INIA GEOFFRENSIS AND PONTOPORIA BLAINVILLII. 101 an extraordinary deviation from all other Cetaceans, among which the number, though certainly very variable, is usually considerable, ranging from eight in Platanista and Physeter to twenty-four in some of the Delphini and Lagenorhynchi. On the other hand, in the Sirenia, the lumbar region of the vertebral column is, as in Jnia, extremely restricted. The three lumbar vertebre are very remarkable for the great antero-posterior breadth of their processes, both spinous and transverse. The bodies are large, being respectively 1:3”, 1:4", and 1:5" in length; their extremities are subcircular, and, as usual in the Cetacea, the middle of the side below the origin of the transverse process is much contracted, so that the median line of the under surface forms a sharp ridge, from which a strongly marked arterial groove runs outwards and backwards to the hinder edge of the root of the transverse process. The spinous processes resemble those of the posterior dorsal region; the first two are slightly curved forwards, the last is nearly vertical and somewhat smaller. The oblique processes (metapophyses) are short, flat, rounded projections from the upper part of the lamine of the arch, very closely approximated to each other. The transverse processes rise from the whole length of the side of the body; they are of nearly equal length, but increase in breadth, especially by the development of a considerable angular process on the middle of their anterior border, most conspicuous in the third vertebra; beyond this process the anterior border is sharply cut off, so that the extremity appears to point backwards. The hinder border is nearly straight, with a notch close to its origin from the body, continuous with the groove before spoken of on the inferior surface of the bone. The vertebra here reckoned as the first caudal closely resembles the last lumbar. Its body is of the same length, but its transverse process is even broader. The suc- ceeding tail-vertebre keep up the same general character, having large heavy bodies and broad processes. The projecting surfaces on the hinder edges for the attachment of the chevron bones are very strongly marked as far as the ninth, after which they become obscure; they are not seen on the anterior edge until the fifth. It is difficult to determine exactly how many chevron bones there were, but probably not more than eleven. ‘The spinous processes, broad and rounded at their summits, become gradually lower, until in the tenth the greatly reduced vertebral canal is scarcely closed in by the lamine of the neural arch, and there is no longer a true spine. In the eleventh, the canal is altogether open above. The metapophyses continue in much the same relative development and situation as far backward as the spinous processes extend. The transverse processes gradually diminish in length, and lose their charac- teristic form. Already in the second that cutting away of the anterior edge noticed in the lumbar region is lost; and in the third and succeeding vertebre the anterior edge is straight, and the hinder one sloping, so that they appear to point forwards. In the eighth they form but a slight prominence on the anterior part of the body, and in the ninth they have altogether disappeared. The vertical perforations for the lateral 102 MR. W. H. FLOWER ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF ascending branches of the caudal artery, so characteristic of a certain region of the tail- yertebree of the Cetacea, occur first in the fifth vertebra, but only on the left side; in the sixth they are seen on both sides, perforating the body of the bone, not the root of the transverse process. As in all Cetacea, the caudal vertebree suddenly change their characters at the point where they enter the laterally expanded part of the tail and where the chevron bones cease to be developed. ‘They now lose their cylindrical form, and become broad, de- pressed, and angular. There are seven such vertebre in the present specimen; and the eighth from the end of the series, or the eleventh caudal, reckoning from the be- ginning, is what may be called the transitional vertebra, being intermediate in form and size between its two exceedingly different neighbours. The last two show a rapid diminution in width. The terminal one is triangular in outline when seen from above. Nothing can well be more dissimilar than the lumbo-caudal region of the spinal column in Jnia and Platanista. In the latter the short bodies, the long narrow trans- verse processes, and high spines curving forwards and bearing immense laterally deve- loped oblique processes with (throughout the lumbar region) well-marked anterior and posterior articular surfaces, form most striking distinguishing characters. The chevron bones sent with the skeleton are ten in number. It is probable that the first is wanting, as there is none corresponding with the form this usually has in the Cetacea. I have therefore indicated its situation with a dotted outline in the figure of the vertebral column (Pl. XXV. fig. 2). These bones agree in general characters with the processes of the vertebra with which they are connected, being of moderate length, very broad and rounded at their free extremity. The lateral halves of the last three are not united in the middle line. There are thirteen pairs of ribs (Pl. XXVII. fig. 2), the last being well developed and articulating with the transverse processes of the corresponding vertebrae. ‘They are stout and heavy for their length, more so than in the ordinary Dolphins. In their comparatively cylindrical form they present a marked contrast to the broad flat ribs of Platanista. The last two or three are, however, much more compressed than the others. The curve, very strong and angular in the first, gradually diminishes and becomes more regular. ‘The last has a slight turn outwards at the lower end, giving a gentle sigmoid curve to the whole bone. The anterior ribs have long and broad, somewhat compressed capitular processes, with distinct articular surfaces at the extremity and at the tubercle. In the fifth the length of this process is sensibly diminished. In the sixth, seventh, and eighth it shortens rapidly, the two articular surfaces being already confluent in the seventh. In the ninth a rounded projection of the lower border of the vertebral end indicates the rudimentary process; in the tenth it has diSappeared altogether, and henceforward the upper end of the rib ends in a somewhat dilated, oval, convex, articular surface, gradu- INIA GEOFFRENSIS AND PONTOPORIA BLAINVILLII. 103 ally diminishing in size. The mode of attachment of the ribs to the vertebral column has been noticed in the description of the thoracic vertebre. The extreme length of the ribs of the right side in a straight line is as follows :— HEWN tiaectora sani sersiatttacistan NGS acta ate sat ae 6°9 ICCON Gi etme veces a7 INfiatda’ Sopatteee seen 6:7 ‘{Hiilinrel™ ee Seesee Semen ome 6-9 d Nerandut Grnocdondedsereece 6:5 IRS be dM soceoameneeee tare {a Bleventiaesees pease aes 6:4 Dua See Ober eee eee 7°33 ‘welit mares sncsteacnas 5°9 Similbeana casconeetesact 12 Thintecnthiescsssaeeace 53 SEV Cimudal igeenceceesences Tall The costal cartilages, as in Platanista and all the Physeteride, are not ossified. How ~ many may have reached the sternum it is, in the present state of the skeleton, impos- sible to determine; but indications of the attachment of only two pairs are to be seen on this bone, which, if confirmed, would be most exceptional among Cetacea, and be another feature of resemblance with the Sirenia. The sternum (Pl. XX VII. figs. 5, 4 & 5) is very peculiar in shape, quite unlike that of any other Cetacean with which I am acquainted, and in its shortness, breadth, and the deep notch on the anterior border somewhat recalling that of the Manatee. It differs from this, however, in its greater solidity, especially towards the anterior part, and in possessing two strong triangular processes (4) projecting downwards and outwards from the fore part of the external surface. It consists of a single bone, which is at present but incompletely developed, all the prominences and the whole hinder margin terminating in cartilage. The extreme length of the ossified portion of this singular bone is 42; its greatest breadth, near the middle, is 5". Its general form is irregularly oval. In the anterior border is a notch 1” in depth, with smooth, rounded edges. On each side of this are two thick conical processes (a), projecting directly forwards, ‘7 apart at their ends. As these have dried cartilage both on their tips and inner surfaces, it is possible that in the adult animal their ossification might extend so far as to convert the notch into a foramen. On each. side of the hinder half of the notch the bone becomes very thick, running out on the external or inferior surface into the triangular process before no- ticed (4), and backwards and upwards into a thick irregular edge (c), apparently for the attachment of the cartilage of the first rib. The hinder half of the bone is flat, and gradually becomes thinner towards its rounded and incomplete posterior edge, which is divided into two lobes by a narrow cleft, situated slightly to the right of the median line. About the middle of the left lateral margin is a small transverse notch, re- presented on the right side by an oblique perforation, apparently for the passage of a blood-vessel. Immediately behind this the margin is thickened and excavated for the attachment of the cartilage of the second pair of ribs (d). There are no other indica- VOL. VI.—PART IIL. Q 104 MR. W. H. FLOWER ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF tions of such attachments, though it is possible that the cartilaginous hinder margin may have been connected with another pair. In Platanista, according to Eschricht, four pairs of ribs are attached directly by their cartilages to the sternum, and the form of this bone has nothing in common with that of Inia. The manubrium is flat and triangular, very broad in front, with a straight anterior edge, and without either of the processes so prominent in Jnéa. This is succeeded by a distinct body, ossified from two lateral centres, and a xiphoid process wholly cartilaginous in the young specimen described. Many of the true Dolphins have two conspicuous pairs of processes on the manubrium sterni, evidently for the attach- ment of muscles—one projecting forwards and outwards, in front of and within the sur- face for the attachment of the first pair of sternal ribs, the other rising from the lateral border between the surfaces for the articulation of the first and second sternal ribs, and directed somewhat backwards. These are especially developed in Monodon. It is to these that the processes of the sternum of Jnia appear to correspond, though much modified in direction. The sternum of Phocena entirely wants these processes ; otherwise it presents some resemblance to that of Znéa in its breadth, flatness, and in consisting of a single piece. The pectoral limbs of Inia are described by d’Orbigny as “larges, longues, et obtuses ;” and the present skeleton fully corroborates this account. The scapula (Plate XXV. fig. 3) does not present that singularly aberrant character which is one of the most peculiar features of the skeleton of Platanista, but conforms more to the ordinary type of the Dolphin-family. Its superior costa is long, and with a tolerably regular arch; the anterior and posterior coste (of which the former is slightly the longer) are much hollowed out, so that the lower half of the bone is narrower from side to side than in most Dolphins. Both the acromion process and coracoid are very long, flat, and expanding and truncated at their extremities. The glenoid fossa is large. The principal dimensions are :— Extreme height, from glenoid fossa to middle of superior | COSTA veceecceceeecec cee eneecceeereeeeeneseesseeneeesseneee senenees Extreme breadth 9.05. 4250... tesiesedal-dine= swash chaensslan sian ebnees 4-8 Breadth of body at root of acromion process .........+-+2++++ 1-2 Length of acromion ...........cessseeeeeeeeeatecnneseeeeueesneesnes Ant Length of coracoid process .........:.ccsseeeseeeeeseeseenerte eens 1:3 Length of glenoid fossa ...........:ceseeseeeneecaeeseeeeseeenees 1:2 Breadth of glenoid fossa .........:+::0sceeeeseeseeeeeeeeeeeeea eens 0-9 {ie humerus is unusually long in proportion to the other segments of the limb, and very simple in its character. he tuberosity is very small; but it is probably not com- pletely ossified. The neck is but slightly marked. The distal end of the bone is INIA GEOFFRENSIS AND PONTOPORIA BLAINVILLII. 105 flattened, and not much expanded in width, The inner surface is quite smooth and slightly concave longitudinally. The outer surface is rougher, and has a rather deep pit a little way below the neck. The radius and ulna are considerably shorter than the humerus, contrary to what obtains in most Cetacea. ‘They are very simple, broad and flat bones, but have a con- siderable space between them, owing to the concavity of the contiguous borders of the ulna and radius. The ulna presents the great peculiarity of possessing no rudiment of an olecranon process. Meme phy Of bmmierupicazes api axsasstedeestescatemsekeatst 32 Wiidthvatimrddle dog tarjastasedactent soe seteetae Raatenest iri) Waidthest lo werend: .<:iah ccgeetad st agate ced esakewednedy 16 Deiat hyeh TACOS. daeri 44 cdedgeaean cia iansamp = I. Mysracocet1* [ Eubalena. Balenoides Megapterine..........++ Megaptera. | Balenopteride ......... Piiysuiue: Sibbaldius. Balenoptera. Physeter. ( Physeterinw......+.+++- { Kogia. Berardius. Ziphius, | Dioplodon. \_ Micropteron. Physeteride .......... j Hyperoodon. or Platanistide .........+ II. Opontocetrt Platanistine............ Platanista. Delphinoidea. aF it are aie { Bonny’ Monodon. Beluga. - Phoceena. | Delphinide .........-.. Weolievis; Grampus. Orca. Delphinine? ......-..- Pseudorca. Lagenorhynchus. Delphinus. Delphinapterus. \_ Globiocephalus. * pvorak, xpros ; equivalent to the German “ Barten- Walle.” + Glovs, Knros. 116 OSTEOLOGY OF INIA GEOFFRENSIS AND PONTOPORIA BLAINVILLI1. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES. The figures in Plates XXV., XXVI., and XXYVII. are drawn from the skeleton of the young Inia geoffrensis described above. : PLATE XXV. Fig. 1. Upper surface of the cranium and vertebral column of Inia geoffrensis. One- fourth the natural size. Fig. 2. Side view of the skull and vertebral column. One-fourth the natural size. Fig. 3. Bones of the right pectoral limb. Half the natural size. PLATE XXVI. 1. Inferior surface of the cranium of Jnia geoffrensis. Half the natural size. Fig. 2. Superior surface of the mandible. Half the natural size. 3. A maxillary tooth from the left side, the fourth from the posterior end of the series. Natural size. Fig. 4. The basi- and thyro-hyals. Half the natural size. Fig. 5. One of the stylo-hyals. Half the natural size. PLATE XXVII. Details of the osteology of Inia geoffrensis. All the figures half the natural size. Fig. 1. Anterior surfaces of the seven cervical vertebre. Fig. 2. The thirteen ribs of the right side. Fig. 3. Side view of the sternum. a. Anterior process. b. Lateral process. c. Surface for attachment of cartilage of first rib. d. Surface for attachment of cartilage of second rib. ig. 4. Internal surface of sternum. Fig. 5. External surface of sternum. 7 iE? = oe PLATE XXVIII. Skull of adult Pontoporia blainvilliti. All the figures (except fig. 5) half the natural size. Fig. 1. Side view of cranium. Fig. 2. Side view of mandible. Fig. 3. Upper surface of cranium. Fig. 4. Inferior surface of mandible. Fig. 5. A maxillary tooth from the left side, the fourth from the posterior end of the series. ‘I'wice the natural size. : | KIS J Smit ith INIA (Op 7 / n 12, 13 14. 15 16 1718 SBewoesse0- M 12 43 44 1516 17 18 rrr @wser" M&N Hanhart imp = | | if * I | | ‘ : | © -| ue» 7 { | -~ Y } 3 ‘ | : ya "a yy - ° a ; A F a eG Tt Tt - ~~ a ee ee ~~ - Vv Smit -hith, INTA GEOFFRENSIS.+ MéNHaxhart imp MAN Hanhart imp J. Smt Jith . INIA GEOFFRENSIS.=z f? A eas - Tant Lwl ALO DY 8 M&N Hanhart imp J.Smit lith . 4 PONTOPORIA - BLAINVILLIIT. & - fF 2a V. On a Raptorial Bird transmitted by My. Anversson from Damara Land. By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.8. Read November 14th, 1865. [PLare XXIX.] T HE raptorial bird now exhibited has been recently sent to me, with some other birds collected in Damara Land, by my friend Mr. Charles J. Andersson, to whose exertions we have already been frequently indebted for valuable contributions to our knowledge of the ornithology of that part of South-western Africa. Mr. Andersson remarks, with reference to the present specimen, which was procured at Objimbinque, Damara Land, on the 10th of March last, “I have only obtained this individual, a female, shot by my servant, who observed another, which was probably the male. I imagine I have once or twice observed this species near my place ( Objim binque) just before dusk. I strongly suspect that it is a nocturnal or seminocturnal bird. I found only a Bat in the stomach of the specimen sent, of which the description and measurements are as follows :— “Trides bright lemon-yellow; extremities of mandibles black ; basal parts and gape bluish lead-colour; tarsi and toes bluish white; claws bluish black. “Entire length 1 ft. 677; in.; length of wings when folded 1 ft. 144 in.; length of tarsus 2;5;in.; length of middle toe 2,5 in.; length of tail 77,in.; length of bill from corner of gape to the tip of the mandible, straight, 15%; in.” To the above remarks of Mr. Andersson I have to add the following :—The colours of the plumage are dark brown mingled with pure white, the tint of the brown being very similar to that of a dark specimen of Buteo vulgaris; a very few feathers of a still darker tinge, however, are apparent on the occiput and back. With the exception of a line of white above and below the eye, the feathers on the upper part of the head are brown: this colouring extends slightly below the gape, and also over the whole of the upper surface of the bird, including the wings and tail; but the basal parts of the feathers on the upper part of the head, the nape, and back are white, though this is not apparent except when a feather is displaced; but this white becomes somewhat more visible where it is mingled with the brown, in the form of bars and spots, on all the feathers of the wings, both above and below, and including the upper and under wing- coverts, as also on the upper and under tail-coverts ; the upper surface of the tail bears five transverse bars of a pale brown, which on the lower surface of the tail-feathers are white, and the tail is also very slightly tipped with dirty white. The throat is white, but is bisected for the upper three-fourths of its length by a brown medial line, starting 118 MR. J. H. GURNEY ON A RAPTORIAL BIRD. from the angle of the lower mandible, and extending for about 3 inches in a straight line towards the sternum. ‘The feathers of the breast and sides are of a mingled brown and white, the latter predominating in the vicinity of the throat. The abdomen and inner sides of the thighs are white, the outer sides of the thighs are brown, the plumage of the thighs also extending over about one-fifth of the upper portion of the tarsus. The occipital feathers are lanceolate and slightly darker (some of them being also a little longer) than the feathers of the adjacent plumage, thus presenting an appearance similar to that which is frequently to be observed in adult specimens of Pernis cristatus. Of the primary feathers the third is the longest, the second next, then the fourth, the fifth, and the first successively ; the points of the primaries, when closed, reach to within three-quarters of an inch of the tip of the tail. The tail, which consists of twelve feathers, is very slightly forked, the centre feathers being the shortest, and the pair next to the outside pair the longest. The bill is singularly small for the size of the bird; but the gape ‘s very large, extending backwards till it reaches a point directly below the centre of the eye. Be tween the eye and the upper mandible a row of small bristles takes its rise, pointing towards and extending over the upper edge of the mandible as far as the nostrils, which are uncovered and of a narrow oval form. As in the case of the American Vultures, there appears fo be no septum between the nostrils. The ridge of the upper mandible is remarkably keel-shaped, and there is a very noticeable depression intervening between it and the cutting-edge of the mandible, which latter is entirely destitute of anything in the nature of a tooth, a notch, or a festoon. The tarsi and toes are slender in their character, and the scales with which they are covered are (with the exception of those covering the last jomt of each toe) remarkably small. The middle toe, which is considerably elongated, has a prominent roughened pad below each end of the last joint; the inner toe is similarly provided, but with the hinder pad thrown further back; the outer toe has two of these appendages situated as those on the middle toe, and two others placed further back; the hinder toe has one large pad only, seated immediately behind the root of the claw. The inner edge of the middle claw projects laterally, and appears to me to present a rudimentary pectination resembling that which is found in the Owls, a tribe to which the present species seems also to offer some resemblance in the form of its bill and the extent of its gape. P.S. I had intended proposing the name of Stringonyx anderssoni for this singular form, supposing it to be undescribed; but, as has been pointed out by Mr. Bartlett since my paper was read*, it is no doubt identical with the Machwrhamphus alcinus of Westerman, the type of which is in the Museum at Leyden. The present specimen has been added to the collection in the Norwich Museum. * Proc, Zool, Soc. 1866, p. 324, + Westerm. Bijd. t. d. Dierk. i. p. 29. r , 2 > my 4 fe = J 4 YY ayy f QL ay? 4. -) . JWolf del eblith KA 5 T LTA? wire TAG aun ea pa kee M & N Hanhart ump [ 119 J VI. On some Fossil Birds from the Zebbug Cave, Malta. By W. K. Parker, F.2S., F.ZS., &e. Read and reeeived for publication Dec, 12th, 1865. [Puate XXX. ] Five years have elapsed since I first examined numerous bony remains from the Zebbug Cave, the “lamellirostral” nature of which was apparent to Dr. Falconer and myself from the first. I transmitted a list of them to that lamented paleontologist for his and Captain Spratt’s inspection, the latter gentleman having taken an active part in exhuming these treasures. A fresh examination of them has not. changed my views as to their nature; and I can now refer to figures of the most important, drawn side by side with their counterparts in the common Swan (Cygnus olor). The specimen of this species, the bones of which I have used for comparison, was a fine old female, 5 feet long from the tip of the beak to the end of the tail, not so large as the male, but a large bird notwith- standing. As half or more of the fossil bones evidently belonged to a Swan about one- third larger than my specimen of the tame kind, it must have been a noble creature, and its extinction is to be deplored as much as that of the Dinornis and the Dodo. Many of the bones belonged to a smaller kind than even the common mute species : it was about the size of a male Bewick’s Swan, or the female of the Common Hooper (C. musicus); some, however, belonged to a bird as large as the male Hooper. There were also some bones of much smaller dimensions; these appear to have belonged to a small Bernicle, such as the Bernicla brenta. ; On June the 10th, 1861 (the next summer), I received, through Professor Rupert Jones, another parcel of these bones; and last autumn Mr. Busk put into my hands the hinder part of the skull of the largest kind, which, with a few thigh-bones of the same species, he had received from Dr. Leith Adams, of Malta. Altogether there are in my hands about three pounds’ weight of fragments, amounting to several dozen in number. About one-fifth of these are indeterminable, on account of their worn and comminuted condition. The only bones quite perfect are phalanges ; and, with the exception of the lower part of a tidia of the largest kind, which is 6} inches long, the pieces are from 1 to 4 inches in length. Mr. Erxleben suggests that they are the remains of feasts held by foxes—a very good suggestion, as far as I can see. The specimens of bones belonging to the largest kind of Swan, which I propose to call Cygnus falconeri, in honour of the great paleontologist whose loss we have so lately suffered, are as follows :-— VOL. VI.—PART III. 8 120 MR. PARKER ON SOME FOSSIL BIRDS Skull (posterior fragment) . . . . . 2 specimens. Ribs (upper part)) = =~ = i-un. a t-nen eeSpecinien, Femur (various parts) . . . . . . . 12 specimens, Tibia (various parts). . . . .. . . 720 $s Tarso-metatarse (various parts) . . . . 20 + Phalanges|(pertect))-) a-ni-u et Bs Of the smaller kind of Swan (Cygnus musicus?) there are— Cervical vertebra (2nd or 3rd) . . . . 2 = Sternum (anterior part) . . . . . . 1 specimen. Scapula (proximal part) . . . . . . 7 specimens. Humeri (various parts). . . .. . . 18 x Ula (various parts), 9) sy ou oe ake % Radius (various parts) <= >) eo 6 .« OL)D. 5, Metacarpus (various parts) . .... 5 + Phalanx (proximal, perfect) . . . . , 1 specimen. Phalanx (distal, perfect) . . . . . . 2 specimens. BaCKuIN (VATIONS) «one Gul a) cee ee a Femur (shaft-part) 2 % Tibia (various) 3 ae Tarso-metatarse (various parts ) . 4 99 Phalanges (perfect) . 5 ae -Of the small Goose-bones (Bernicla ?) there are— Coracoid (head) . . . . . . 1 specimen. Radius (distal and middle potions) . . 2 specimens, Ulna (middle) . . - + « « I specimen. Metacarpus (almost pein ae soe Oe Penrur (nearly perfect) 2. a kd Tibia (lower etd) 9S" I, op ee ee ” ” ” Some of these bones are of a beautiful ferruginous dark brown; others are of a light colour, like the clay in which they were imbedded. Cygnus falconeri, Parker. Skull. Dr. Leith Adams's specimen of this part of the great Swan came to hand too late to ba figured; I was able to make out that it belonged to a Swan nearly one-third larger tahn Cygnus olor, and to see the occipital plane, foramen, and condyle, as well as part of the parietal and temporal regions. With this specimen of the skull there were two or three fine ‘“ ossa femoris,” which corroborated the conclusion I came to as to the skull be- FROM THE ZEBBUG CAVE, MALTA. 121 longing to C. falconeri; for the thigh-bones were the exact counterpart of those which had come earlier under my notice. I annex a Table of measurements of the bones of C. falconeri, as compared with those of the large female C. olor :— : a C. olor. C. falconeri. Middle thoracic rib— inches. lines, inches. lines. a. Acrosstheneck . . .. O 5 j b. Width of outeredge. . . 0 pate: > ish nek 4 Ulna— Diameter of shaft. . . . . 0 Ope walt tomy FO if Radius— Diameter of shaft. . . . . 0O Sharer asst 60 4 Femur— Across head and trochanter . 1 1 1 5 Width of middle of shaft . . 0 54 0 8 Width across lower condyles . 1 0 1 5} Tibia— Fore-and-aft width of head if 5 1 9 Thickness of head 0 gL 1 2 Width of shaft . 0 4 0 8 Width across lower condyles Ojpestt: 1 4h Tarso-metatarse— Extreme length 4 3 5 3 Width across head 1 0 1 24 Width across shaft 0 5 0 6 Width across condyles 1 0 1 t Phalanx (proximal, middle)— Wtensthis soe) ve aes sotroly eet? * 52 24 1 14 Thickness of proximalend. . 0 52s! Fora os Thickness of shaft . ... 0O Open ae nt, 1) 4} Mr. Erxleben’s figures show very faithfully the perfect agreement, in everything but size, between the great extinct Swan and Cynus olor. The largest bones of C. falconeri are not, however, displayed in the Plate, for this reason, that the most perfect bones for figuring were apparently those of females; but there are bones still larger in the col- lection, most likely those of male birds. s2 122 MR. PARKER ON SOME FOSSIL BIRDS The coarseness of these bones is well shown when the diploé is displayed (see Pl. XXX. figs. 10, 11 & 12), and the walls of the tibial diaphyses are a line and a half (one-eighth of an inch) thick in the stoutest specimens. The Ribs.—The coarseness of the bones, and their great size as compared with those of the tame species, are well seen in the three fragments of ribs; they are, altogether, one-fourth larger than their counterparts in the living Swans. The Ulna (Pl. XXX. figs. 4 & 5).—The diameter of the ulna, as seen in fig 5, is as 7 to 5 compared with fig. 5a; and the strength of the shaft is well shown in fig.4. The oblong quill-knobs, confluent by means of an elevated ridge, are well shown to be precisely alike in the extinct and the tame species. The Femur (Pl. XXX. figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11).—These figures of the left femur, although not of the most massive specimens, give a good idea of the stoutness of this lost bird: its head, trochanter, shaft, and lower condyles are seen to be most exactly like those of the tame kind, save and except such intensification of the ridges and general surface- marking as is due to the origin and insertion of the muscles of a much mightier bird. Tibia (Pl. XXX. figs. 12, 15, 14 & 15).—This, again, is evidently the bone of a fe- male, as there are considerably larger specimens, although not so perfect, in the collec-. tion. Fig. 12 shows the strength of the shaft; fig. 15 is an anterior view of the distal end of the right tibia, showing the broad tendon-bridge and groove, the space for attachment of the fibula, and two depressions in the space for the precalcaneal knob, which are but faint in the tame kind. Fig. 14 shows the extent of the lower condyle as seen laterally - on the inside, and fig. 15 its division into an inner and outer lobe. Tarso-metatarse (Pl. XXX. figs. 16, 17, 18 & 19).—The length of this right shank is seen to be greater in proportion to its thickness than in the tame Swan; but their general agreement is most accurate. The low precalcaneal knob, the postcalcaneal ridges, grooves, and bridge, and the form and relative proportions of the lower bifid condyles are well seen. There is, however, a passage, shown in the head of the shank of the tame Swan (fig. 19a), which does not ap- pear in fig. 19: this mistaken foramen escaped me when examining the proof-plates ; it was made by me in the tame Swan’s bone for the purpose of syringing out the marrow. The bony bridge uniting the outer and middle condyles (figs. 16, 17, 18) is seen to correspond beautifully in the two birds; the perfection of the figures exonerates me from detailed description. Phalanges (Pl. XXX. figs. 20, 21 & 22).—There are only three phalanges which I can safely refer to the largest Swan; but they are very remarkable, being quite unlike what we see in the species of Swans still living; for fig. 20, as compared with fig. 20a, is seen to be full one-third thicker, and but little more than two-thirds the length. This is the case with the proximal phalanx of the great or middle toe; and the other two are quite similar in shortness and robustness. If this shortness of the toes be remembered, along with the fact that the shank is FROM THE ZEBBUG CAVE, MALTA. 123 longer in proportion than in the recent kinds, we shall see that the great extinct Swan was rather generalized in character, being somewhat of a Goose, possessing, as he did, longer legs and shorter toes than the typical Swans. It would appear, however, that, like the gigantic Adjutant among the Storks, this bird had its wings of the full relative size: the immense ulna shows this (see Pl. XXX. figs. 1, 4 & 5). As the feet were shorter, it is probable that the extinct bird was not so expert at rowing as the smaller but more elegant kinds; on land he may have shown better; and perhaps he was altogether more terrestrial. It is worthy of remark, that the most generalized type of all the “ Lamellirostres,” viz. the Palamedea—that in which the lamelle of the beak are arrested in their growth, and which has no webs to connect the toes—has the digits longer even than the Swans. This bird, however, is not unrelated to the Grallatorial “ Macrodactyli.” Cygnus musicus (?). The most important bone of those belonging to the smaller Swan, which, as the fore- going list shows, are very numerous, is the front part of the sternum. This fine frag- ment is well shown in Pl. XXX. figs. 1, 2, 3; and, besides exhibiting the separated coracoid grooves, anterior part of keel, costal process, condyles for sternal ribs, ridge for middle pectoral, &c., is especially interesting because of the well-displayed anterior part of the cavity for the wind-pipe. Fig. 3 shows the smooth, rounded cavity ; fig. 2 part of its left wall; and fig. 1 the eminence caused by it on the midline of the sternum: the two rows of wind-passages are also well seen. This, then, is the sternum of one of the Wild Swans, perhaps the greater species (C. musicus), perhaps C. bewickit, or, it may be, some species nearly allied to these. At any rate it is interesting to find that C. musicus is still to be found in lands bordering the Mediterranean, the Rev. H. B. Tristram having, in his last travels, received it from Solomon’s Pool, near Jerusalem (see Proc. Zool. Soc., 1864, p. 453). The similarity of the bones in the species of Swans is so great that I feel it to be unnecessary to describe the rest of the bones of the smaller kind; they are nearly all fragmentary, like those of C. falconeri, and the fragments are in the same good condition. The birds which owned these bones varied in size from that of a small female tame Swan to that of a medium-sized Black Swan; yet the difference is scarcely more than varietal and serual. There may have been more than two species buried in the Zebbug Cave; but we lack positive evidence. The smallest “lamellirostral” bones are intermediate in size between those of the Wild Goose (Anser cinereus) and those of the Mallard (Anas boschas); so that they may have belonged to a small female Bernicle, such as the black-faced kind (Bernicla brenta). But, few as these are, they probably belonged to two kinds; for the femur and tibia 124 MR. PARKER ON SOME FOSSIL BIRDS FROM THE ZEBBUG CAVE, MALTA. are relatively larger than the coracoid and metacarpus: these latter bones are not larger than those of a good-sized tame Duck (A. boschas). DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXX. (N.B.—The figures are all of the natural size.) Fig. 1. Anterior fragment of sternum of Cygnus musicus (?); upper view. Fig. 2. Anterior fragment of sternum of C. musicus(?); side view. Fig. 3. Anterior fragment of sternum of C. musicus (?); front view. Fig. 4. Ulna of C. falconeri; end view of fragment. Fig. 5. Ulna of C. falconeri; side view of fragment. Fig. 5a. Ulna of C. olor; side view of fragment. Fig. 6. Femur (left) of C. falconeri; front view. Fig. 7. Femur (left) of C. falconeri; lower view. Fig. 8. Femur (left) of C. falconeri; hinder view. Fig. 9. Femur (left) of C. falconeri; upper view. Figs. 6a-9a. Femur (left) of C. olor. Figs. 10, 11. Femur of C. falconeri ; fragments. Fig. 12. Tibia (right) of C. falconeri; end view of fragment. Fig. 13. Tibia (right) of C. falconeri; front view of distal end. Fig. 14. Tibia (right) of C. falconeri; side view of distal end. Fig. 15. Tibia (right) of C. falconeri; end view of distal end. Fig. 13a. Tibia (right) of C. olor; front view of distal end. Fig. 16. Tarso-metatarse (right) of C. falconeri; hinder view. Fig. 16a. Tarso-metatarse (right) of C. olor; hinder view. Fig. 17. Tarso-metatarse (right) of C. falconeri; lower view. Fig. 17a. Tarso-metatarse (right) of C. olor; lower view. Fig. 18. Tarso-metatarse (right) of C. falconeri; front view. Fig. 18a, Tarso-metatarse (right) of C. olor; front view. Fig. 19. Tarso-metatarse (right) of C. falconeri; upper view. Fig. 19a. Tarso-metatarse (right) of C. olor; upper view*. Fig. 20. Phalanx (proximal, of middle toe) of C. falconeri; upper view. Fig. 20a. Phalanx (proximal, of middle toe) of C. olor; upper view. Fig. 21. Phalanx of C. falconeri; side view. Fig. 21a. Phalanx of C. olor; side view. Figs, 22, 23, Phalanx of C. falconeri; end views. Figs. 22a, 23a. Phalanx of C. olor; end views. * The circular hole in this view is of artificial origin. Mi & N.Hanbart, Imp! » J-Hrxleben,del et lith. Aa. 2a OLOR:. 4_23.C .FALCONERT, P. 1_3 CYGNUS MUSICGUS ? 4 [ 125 J VII. Synopsis of the species of recent Crocodilians or Emydosaurians, chiefly founded on the specimens in the British Museum and the Royal College of Surgeons. By Dr. Joon Epwarp Gray, F.B.S., V.P.ZS., ELS, &c. Read December 9th, 1862. [Paves XXXI. to XXXIV.] THE distinction of the species of Crocodiles has hitherto been one of the difficult problems in systematic zoology; and therefore I believe that it may be of some slight use to lay before the Society the result of my examination of the very large collection of Crocodiles, of all ages and from various localities, which are contained in the British Museum. Knowing the difficulty that surrounds the subject, I have made great exertions to obtain specimens from different countries; and the examination of these specimens has shown that the characters of the species, when allowance is made for the changes that take place in the growth of the animal, are quite as permanent as in any other group of Reptiles, and not more difficult to define. An outline of the synopsis of the Crocodilide or Alligatoride was published in the ‘Annals and Magazine of Natural History’ for 1861 (5rd series, vol. viii.). Since that period I have examined the additional specimens which have been received in the British Museum, and also those in other collections, especially the skulls in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, the specimens in the two museums at Liverpool, and in other local collections within my reach. Among the specimens recently received by the British Museum are some typical skulls from the Dutch possessions in the East, obtained from Leyden, which enable me to determine with certainty the species described by the Dutch zoologists. The determination of the species of the Crocodilians has always been attended with considerable uncertainty ; and if we may judge by the manner in which the specimens and the skulls of them are named in Museums, or sent about by the more scientific dealers, it would appear that as yet they are not properly understood. I do not mean as to the precise limit of a species—that is to say, whether the specimens from different districts of the same zoological or geographical province are mere local varieties of the same species, or are distinct; for that is a question which I admit must, with the materials at our command, for the present remain unsolved and open to discus- sion. But it is not unusual to find most distinct species confused under the same name, and specimens of the same species, only different in age, separated under two or more names. _ In this paper I have endeavoured to condense into a short synopsis the principal leading characters, especially those furnished by the examination of the skull and the VOL. VI.—PART IV. z 126 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES nuchal and dorsal plates, by which the different species of Crocodiles and Alligators may be most easily determined. My object in this paper is to furnish the zoologist with the best character to distin- guish the different species of Crocodile and Alligator, without any pretence of giving an account of the comparative anatomy or osteology of the species. I make this state- ment, as confusion arises in the student’s mind between the object of the studies of the two branches of the science, both equally important; but the one ought to be based on the examination and comparison of the largest possible number of specimens and species, while the most important papers on comparative anatomy are often those that - arise from the examination of a single example of the animal. I am well aware that there is a prejudice against such short papers, and that they incur the reproach of certain continental and native naturalists; but after considering their objection and their practice, I am still of the opinion that papers of the kind are far more useful to the working naturalist than the long descriptions of species. which it is the custom of these naturalists to prepare, when their descriptions, instead of merely presenting the peculiar character of the species under consideration, give in full detail under each species (so as to hide in a bushel of words the characters which you are looking for) the character of the genus, or even often of the family or order to which the species belongs. Macleay well observes, “'The modern art of describing is too long, often insufferably long, while human life remains as short as ever” (Ilust. Zool. S. Africa, p. 54). I know by experience that synoptical papers take far more mental and bodily labour to prepare than the description of a single specimen, often taken at haphazard and regarded as the type of a species because it presents some striking peculiarities of appearance. This paper, short as it is, is the result of the examination and repeated reexamination, at different periods, of more than two hundred specimens of Crocodiles,—a series of the most characteristic specimens of each species having been laid out so that they could be viewed and studied together and at leisure, and their peculiarities and likenesses noted down. If all the notes made during these comparisons were printed, as is the custom with many naturalists, they would fill many pages, and thus make a long paper. Many papers and books are estimated by their size, rather than by the extent of labour that has been bestowed upon them; while the results of much labour and careful study, condensed into a few pages, are often spoken of by critics, who never undertook such researches, or who dislike the labour of condensing their observations into systematic order, as merely the short notes of a hasty examination: at least that is the way in which some papers, which were the results of equally extensive examinations, have been regarded by naturalists who should have known better. I may further observe that, even after so much study, when new specimens have been accumulated and with additional experience, one frequently finds peculiarities overlooked OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 127 and facts requiring verification, when the old and the newly acquired specimens are submitted to a-reexamination and study. It is this experience that makes me inclined to place less reliance than other naturalists upon essays prepared by persons who come and look at a series of specimens for the first time, and describe them offhand. Yet such works are often regarded as of authority, very often on account of their length, or the beautiful manner in which they are printed or illustrated. The references to the catalogue of the osteological specimens in the College of ‘Surgeons are based on the examination of the specimens in that collection; and I have to thank the Council of the College for their permission to examine them, and Mr. Flower, the energetic Curator of the collection, for his kindness and assistance in determining them. If any evidence were required of the difficulties of determining the species of this family, I need only refer to the nomenclature of the skull in the catalogue above referred to, which was prepared by the late Curator of the collection, Professor Owen. In this collection, for example, I found what I consider to be three distinct species in one case, and two distinct species in another, confounded under the same name; and on the other hand, I found what I regard as skulls of the same species inserted under three different names. The skull of a Crocodile which is found in the internal rivers ‘of India, is named Crocodilus rhombifer, Cuvier (which isan American species), though the specimen in the College Museum was received from Bengal. I do not by any means regard my determination of these skulls as infallible; but I have taken every care to make it correct by repeated examination. I first arranged the skulls as they appeared to be alike, according to the characters here assigned to them, without paying any attention to the names given, placing them in order according as the size showed the change in the growth; and Mr, Flower, Mr. Gerrard, and some other zoologists who are used to the examination of bones, agree with me in my determination, and were much interested in observing how gradually the skulls of different ages glided into each other’. I must observe, if there is this difference of opinion in the determination of skulls of recent Crocodiles, where the series of skulls for different-aged animals can be compared, and where the skulls are in a perfect state, how much more difficult it must be to have confidence in the determination of the skull of the fossil, or some fossil species where the skulls are generally more or less imperfect, and perhaps only single specimens (often very imperfect specimens) have been examined! ‘ The following is the result of my examinations of the specimens of Crocodiles in the Museum of the College of Surgeons (the numbers refer to the numbers in the catalogue) :— : 682-707. Gavialis gangeticus=Gavialis, 710. Crocodilus cataphractus = Mecistops cataphractus, the type specimen. 711, 712, 714, 716. Crocodilus acutus=Molinia americana, from America. 128 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES The chief difficulty in distinguishing the species has originated from the very great change of forms that takes place in the shape and proportions of the head of the animal in its different stages of growth; but the changes seem nearly similar in all the species, and therefore when once observed they can be easily allowed for. The difference may be divided into three stages, exemplified in the young, the nearly full-grown, and the adult or aged specimens. The head and beak of the young are generally depressed, with more or less distinctly marked symmetrical ridge and depressions; and these characters are gradually modified until the animal assumes its nearly full size,—the skull becoming thicker and more solid, but yet retaining most of the characters that distinguish its young state. After this period, as the animal increases in age, the skull becomes more and more convex and swollen and heavy, and assumes a very different external form. It is to be observed that in all these changes in the external form of the skull, the bones themselves of which it is composed preserve their general form and relation to each other ; and the sutures between these bones appear to me to offer some of the best characters to separate the species into groups. In many instances, when I have been in doubt, the sight of the intermaxillary suture has at once solved the difficulty, which has been verified by the examination of the locality of the specimen. These changes in the form of the head have been among the causes that have made the study of the species of Crocodiles so difficult. If this is the case with the recent species, how much more caution is requisite to determine the fossil remains of the animal! Cuvier set a very good example in that respect: he commenced the study of each group of animals with an examination of the osteology and external characters of the living species, and then applied the knowledge he thus acquired, to the distinction of the fossil remains; but now we often find paleontologists, as they call themselves, neglecting, or, at most, only taking the outline of the osteological and zoological characters of the living species at second hand, and describing the fossil, and often forming genera and species on-a small fragment, thus encumbering the science with a multitude of names. At one time I proposed to give accurate measurements of the different parts of the 713. Crocodilus acutus=Oopholis porosus of India. 715. Crocodilus acutus= Crocodilus vulgaris of Africa. 717. Crocodilus vulyaris, much distorted. 718. Crocodilus vulgaris=Bombifrons, perhaps B. siamensis. 719-724, 727, 728. Crocodilus biporcatus=Oopholis porosus. 725. Crocodilus biporcatus= Crocodilus vulgaris. 5 So 6. Crocodilus biporcatus = Bombifrons indicus. 0, 751. Crocodilus rhombifer, from Bengal= Bombifrons indicus. 2. Crocodilus palustris ?= Bombifrons indicus. 30-762. Alligator lucius= Alligator mississippiensis. 764, Alligator niger=Jacure nigra. Dr. J. E. Gray “ On the Change of Form of the Heads of Crocodiles,” Transactions of the Sections in ‘ Report of the British Association of Science,’ Cambridge, 1862, p. 109. ast —] 7 = or a Ur OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 129 skull of each of the specimens of the different species in the British Museum Collection ; but I am satisfied that the importance of such tables of measurement is over-estimated : no doubt it has a very imposing appearance; but a good figure is more useful than any amount of measurement. Every species has its normal measurements; but these are liable to vary in the different individuals; and any difference sufficient to show a distinction of species is easily appreciated by the eye, as it must alter the general proportions of the different parts of the head. It has been suggested that I ought to give the description of each separate bone of which the skull is composed. This may be of use to the student of comparative anatomy, but is not of so much importance to the zoologist ; for though each bone has a normal form in each species of Crocodile, yet they are each liable to considerable variation within certain limits in the different individuals of the species. The bones of the different genera have been described in several works on osteology, and they are well figured by De Blainville and others. De Blainville, in his ‘ Ostéographie,’ devotes five folio plates to the osteology and dentition of recent Crocodiles, giving details of Crocodilus biporcatus, C. lucius, C. vulgaris, C. schlegelii, C. longirostris, C. rhombifer, and C. sclerops. These plates were prepared to accompany an essay that M. de Blainville was preparing for the ‘ Mémoires de |’Académie des Sciences de France’ when he died. Professor Carl Bernhard Briihl, of the Universities of Cracow and Pesth, has published twenty quarto etchings of the skeletons of Crocodiles and Alligators, giving details of three or four species. The plates are exceedingly accurate, and full of details, being drawn and etched by the Professor and his wife direct from the specimens. They were published at Vienna in 1862. There is a continuation of the work, containing three additional plates, published in 1865, principally devoted to the canals of the ear-bone. I must here refer to a paper by Professor Huxley, entitled “On the Dermal Armour of of Jacare and Caiman, with notes on the Specific and Generic Characters of recent Croco- dilia,” Journ. Proc. Linn. Soc. Zool. iv. p.1. As this paper contains an excellent account of the osteological differences between the different genera of Crocodilia, 1 have not considered it desirable to repeat them here, more especially as they were chiefly drawn up from specimens in the British Museum. Order EMYDOSAURI (Emydosaurians). Emydosauri, Blainyille, Gray, Ann, Phil.x.195, 1825; Cat. Tortoises & Crocodiles Brit. Mus. 38,1844. Crocodilia, Huxley, Journ. Proc. Linn. Soe. Zool. iv. p. 1. The Emydosaurians or Crocodilians may be divided into three families :— A. The cervical and dorsal plates forming one dorsal shield. I, Gaviauipa&. The large front teeth and the canines in the lower jaw fit. into notches in the margin of the upper jaw. 150 DR. J. E. GRAYS SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES B. The cervical shield forms a small group, which is separate from the dorsal shield. Il. Crocopriip#. The canines fit into notches in the upper jaw, and the large front teeth fit into pits or perforations in the front of the upper jaw. III. Auucatorip®. The large front teeth and the canines fit into pits or perforations in the edge of the upper jaw. The large front teeth of the Garials fit into a notch in the front of the upper jaw, and the canines into a notch also. In the Crocodiles the canines fit into a notch, as in the Garials, but the large front teeth fit into a pit or perforation in the front of the upper jaw; and in the Alligators both the canines and the large front teeth fit into pits or perforations in the edge of the upper jaw. The geographical distribution of the genera may be thus exhibited :— AFRICA, ASIA AND AUSTRALASIA, AMERICA. Fam. Gavialide. Gavialis. Tomistoma. Fam. Crocodilide. Crocodilus. Oopholis. Bombifrons. Palinia. Halerosia. Molinia. Mecistops. Fam. Alligatoride. Alligator. Caiman. Jacare. In Africa there are three species of Crocodiles. They seem all to have been known to Adanson. They are, 1. The common Crocodile (called the Olive Crocodile by Adanson), Crocodilus vulgaris, which is spread over the whole of Africa, from north to south and from east to west; 2. The Black Crocodile of Adanson (Halcrosia nigra) ; and, 3. The False Gavial of Adanson, the Mecistops cataphractus. 'The two latter are confined to the rivers on the west coast of Africa. In India! there are also three species of Crocodiles:—1. The Oopholis porosus (or Crocodilus biporcatus of Cuvier), which is found only in the estuaries at the mouths of the large rivers; 2. The Muggar? (Bombifrons indicus) ; and 3. The Garial (or Ghurrial), ' See Dr. J. E. Gray “ On the Crocodiles of India and Africa,” Transactions of the Sections in ‘ Report of the fara Association of Science,’ Cambridge, 1862, p. 107. * Dr. Falconer says, the proper name of the Crocodile is Coombeer. The Rapacious Shark is *oalten the Muggar ; and by reflection this name is also sometimes given to the Crocodile, because it is a rapacious animal. OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 131 which is confined to the rivers in the interior of the country. ‘The Coombeer or Muggar ascends the rivers to the mountains, where the water is often frozen. ‘The Ghurrial, on the contrary, is confined to the lower level, where the climate is warm. In stating that there are three species of Crocodiles in India, I only intend to state there are three distinct forms; for I will not undertake to say for certain that the Muggar of Ceylon, of Siam, and of India are not distinct species. Mr. Blyth observes, “‘ Both the Gangetic species of Crocodiles have been received by the Asiatic Society, Calcutta, from Java. ‘The Crocodiles are known to abound in Timor, from which island they may well have passed to Australia. Governor Grey met with them in the north-west.”—Blyth, Rep. Austral. Vert. in Mus. A.S. C. If by “ both the Gangetic species of Crocodile” Mr. Blyth means the estuarine Croco- dile (Oopholis porosus) and the Coombeer or Muggar (Bombifrons indicus), no example of the latter animals from either Java, Timor, or Australia has occurred to me, and the animal figured as Crocodilus raninus by Dr. Salomon Muller is certainly Oopholis porosus ; and there is in the British Museum a fine adult skull of that species sent by the Leyden Museum from Jaya. The observations of MM. Duméril and Bibron (Erp. Gén. 25, 47), that Crocodiles are not. found in Australia, and that the American Crocodiles are confined to the islands of that continent, are no longer consistent with facts; indeed, long before the publication of their work, various travellers had recorded the occurrence of Crocodiles on the north coast of Australia. The estuarine Oopholis porosus was observed by Governor Grey on the north-west coast of Australia. There is in the British Museum a skull of the species sent thence, and also a full-grown specimen which was killed and preserved in that country. The Island of Borneo is inhabited by a false Garial, named Tomistoma schlegelii. I am not aware that it has been found in any of the other islands of the archipelago. It is intermediate in character between the true Garial and the Crocodiles. The Crocodiles and Alligators are widely distributed in America. There are four American Crocodiles, and nine Alligators. One of the Crocodiles, Palinia rhombifer, is peculiar to the island of Cuba. The other species of Crocodiles and the Alligators are found on the mainland. The Alligator mississippensis is found far north, where the waters are often frozen; all the other Alligators and American Crocodiles are confined to the tropical and subtropical parts of the continent. MJolinia americana is found in Cuba and St. Domingo, as well as in the rivers of the east and west side of the conti- nent, showing the incorrectness of the assertion of MM. Duméril and Bibron that the Crocodiles of America are confined to the islands of that continent (Erp. Gén. 25, 47)'. ®' In the ‘ Gentleman’s Magazine’ for August 1866 appears an article, entitled “‘ Notes on a Yoyng Crocodile found in a Farmyard at Over Norton, Oxfordshire,” by George R. Wright, F.S.A. Mr. Wright observed the specimen in a case of birds and animals, preserved by Mr. William Phillips, who said that it was found lying dead in a gutter in his farmyard, evidently but lately killed; its bowels protruded from a wound in the belly, 132 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES Family I. GAVIALIDZ. The cervical and dorsal plates formed into a single continuous shield. Teeth nearly of uniform size, all fitting into notches on the edge of the upper jaw. The front large teeth fitting into a notch in the front, the canines into a notch on the sides of the front of the upper jaw. ‘The jaws elongate, slender. Crocodilide (part.), Gray, Ann. Philos. x. 195, 1825. Crocodilide § *, Gray, Cat. Tortoises & Crocod. B.M. 36. Gavialide, Huxley, Journ. Proc, Linn, Soe. Zool. iv. p. 16, 1859. Synopsis of Genera. Gaviauts. Beak elongate, linear, end swollen. The lateral teeth oblique, not received into pits. TomistoMa. Beak conical, thick at the back, the lateral teeth erect, received into pits between the teeth. 1. GAVIALIS. Beak of skull linear, end dilated from the enlarged nostrils. Teeth — or = The mandibular symphysis extends to the twenty-third or twenty-fourth tooth. Most of the lateral teeth of both jaws are directed obliquely, and not received into inter- dental pits. The front margin of the orbit is much raised. Gavial, Oppel. Le gavial, Cuvier. Gavialis, Merrem, Gray, Ann. Phil. x. 195, 1825; Cat. Tortoises, &c., B. M. 36, 57, 1844. Geoff. Mém. Mus. xii. Huxley, Proc. Linn. Soe. Zool. iv. p. 20, 1859. Gavialia, Fleming, Phil. Zool. Ramphostoma, Wagler, Syst. Amph. 441. Rhamphognathus, Vogt, Zool. Brief. ii. 289. 1. GaviALis GANGETICUS. (The Garial or Nakoo.) Narrow-beaked Crocodile, Edw. Phil. Trans. xlix. 639, t. 19. Le gavial, Lacép. Q. O. 1235, t. 15. Faugas, Mont. S. P. 235, t. 8. f. 46, 47. Lacerta gangetica, Gmelin, S. N.i. 1057. Shaw, Zool. ii. 197, t. 60. The men said it ran out of the stack of wood, they killed it, but they could easily get him another ; he offered a guinea for another specimen, dead or alive; but the reward was never claimed. An account of the discovery appeared in the ‘ Field Newspaper’ for 1861 or 1862; and another, with a figure of the specimen, was published in Hardwicke’s ‘Science Gossip,’ Jan. 1, 1867, p. 7, figs. 1 & 2. Dr. Vesalius Pettigrew and Mr. Frank Buckland thonght it was a very young Crocodile that had escaped from some travelling show. I should suspect that it was much more likely to be a just-hatched specimen that had been preserved in spirit and thrown away. The wound in the belly was probably the wmbilicus. The figure shows too long and slender a beak fcr a young specimen of any Crocodile I have seen. OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 133 Crocodilus longirostris, Schneid. Amph. 160. Daudin, Rept. 4293. Blainv. Ostéog. Crocod. t. 2. f. 4, Up Shit Os tala ie (Op up one a Crocodilus arctirostris, Daud. Rept. ii. 398. Crocodilus tenuirostris, Cuvier, Ann, Mus. x.t.1. Tiedem. Amph. t.15. Wagler, Syst. t. 7. f.111. Merrem, Tent. 38. Gavialis gangeticus, Geoff. Mém. Mus. xii. Gray, Syn. Rept. 36; Cat. Tortoises &c. B. M. 57. Dum. & Bib. Erp. Gén. iii. 135, t. 26. f. 2. Huxley, Journ. Proc. Linn. Soc. Zool. iv. p. 20, 1859. Briihl, Skelet. Krokod. t. 8, 9, 10, 11, & 17. Crocodilus gangeticus, Tied. Oppel, & Libosch., Naturg. Amph. 81, t. 14. Geoff. Mém. Mus. H. N. xi. 118. Gavialis longirostris, Merrem, Amph. 37. Gavialis tenuirostris, Merrem, Amph. 38. Guérin, Icon. R. Anim. t. 2. f. 3. Ramphostoma tenuirostre, Wagler, Nat. Syst. Amph. 141, t. 8. f. 3. Le gavial, Lacép. H. N. Q. Oyip. i. 235, t. 15. Gavial, Owen, Monogr. Fossil Reptilia of the London Clay, t. 11. 1849 (skeleton). Hab. Indian rivers. Bengal, Nepal, Malabar. 2. 'TOMISTOMAs Beak of the head conical, thick at the base. Teeth = The mandibular sym- physis extends to the fifteenth tooth; the hinder tooth of the upper jaw, and most of those of the lower jaw received into interdental pits. Premaxillary hardly expanded, orbital margins not raised. Gavialis, sp., Miller ; Owen. Tomistoma, 8. Miller, Wiegm. Arch. 1846, i. 122. Rhynchosuchus, Huxley, Journ. Proc. Linn. Soe. Zool. iv. p. 16, 1859. The upper edge of the intermaxillary bone extends back as far as the second canine tooth; and in this character it differs from the skull of the slender-nose Crocodiles, as Croc. gravesii and Mecistops cataphractus. Dr. Falconer, when describing the skull of Crocodilus cataphractus, in Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1866, xviii. 562, observes, “ Crocodilus schlegelii constitutes the passage from the true Crocodiles into the Gavials,” and he shows how the skull agrees with the Crocodiles’ in the position of the nasal bones. Professor Owen, in the first ‘ Essay on the fossil reptiles of the London Clay,’ Crocodiles, p. 15, observes, “The Bornean species, Crocodilus schlegelii, was in fact originally de- scribed as a new species of Gavial; but the nasal bones, as in the fossil from Sheppey (figured in t. 2. f. 5), extend to the hinder border of the external nostrils.” This does not agree with our skull, nor with the figures of the skull in Blainyille’s ‘ Ostéographie.’ See also Huxley, Journ. Proc. Linn. Soc. Zool. iv. p. 18. VOL. VI.—PART IV. U 154 DR. J. E. GRAYS SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES 1. ToMISTOMA SCHLEGELI. (Bornean Gavial.) ‘rocodilus gavialis schlegelii, Miller, Naturgesch. Ost. Ind. t. 123. f. 1-5. Crocodilus schlegelii, Blainv. Ostéog. Crocod. t. 2. f.3; t.5.f.4. Brihl, Skelet. Krok. t. 8. f. 6. Owen, Fossils of the London Clay, p. 15. Rhynchosuchus schlegelii, Huxley, Proc. Linn. Soe. iv. (1859) p. 17; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1859. Mecistops journei, Gray, Cat. Tortoises &c. B. M. 38, not synonyma. Hab. Australasia, Borneo (Miller, Brit. Mus.). The two figures of the skull in Miller and Schlegel, t. 3. f. 1 and 2, show the difference that occurs in the form of the skull of the same species. In the British Museum there is a young specimen in spirits, and an adult skull received from the Leyden Collection, and a very fine adult skull from Borneo, obtained from Mr. Mitten. Family Il. CROCODILIDZ. The cervical plates forming a distinct shield, separate from the dorsal shield. Teeth strong, very unequal in size, hinder larger. The 9th upper and the 11th lower teeth larger, like canines, the large teeth of the lower fitting into pits or perforations, and the canines fitting into notches on the edge of the upper jaws. Nose of both sexes simple. The upperside of the intermaxillary is slightly expanded behind, and its hinder end is divided, and separated into two parts by the front end of the nasal bone. Crocodilide §**, Gray, Cat. Tortoises &c. B. M. 36, 1844. Crocodilide, Huxley, Proc. Linn. Soc, Zool. iv. 5. Crocodilus, Cuvier ; Gray, Ann. Phil. 1825, x. 195. Champse, Merrem, Tent. Professor Huxley divides this family into two genera, Crocodilus and Mecistops. See Journ. Proc. Linn. Soc. Zool. iv. 6. The Crocodiles when they are first hatched have a very short beak to the head. This is even the case with the long-beaked Mecistops cataphractus, which in its very young state is hardly to be distinguished in the form of its beak from the young of the com- mon Crocodile, Crocodilus vulgaris. As the young obtain strength the beak developes itself more or less rapidly according to the species, until its normal character is attained. The head seems to continue of nearly the same form, merely increasing in size, for some time, perhaps years ; for we know little of the duration of the life of the Crocodiles ; and they are probably long-lived animals. As they reach maturity, and as old age creeps on, the skull thickens considerably, and the jaws dilate and thicken on the sides. The growth of the teeth, which are produced in succession, and greatly enlarge in diameter, and the enlargement of the jaws proceed pari passu: the latter is also influenced by the development of these teeth and the larger alveoli required to support them. OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 135 The head of the Crocodile first increases in length compared with its width, and then, having arrived at a certain form, increases in width, thickness, and solidity. The same change takes place in the head and skull of the Bornean Garial, Tomi- stoma schlegelit, as is found in Miiller and Schlegel’s figures of the half-grown and adult skulls in their work. It is to be observed that each of the Crocodiles of India and Africa (and it may also be the case with those of America) seems to present two varieties—one with a broad and the other with a narrower face; this variation occurring in each species appears to me to show that it is more probably a local, or perhaps even sexual variation than a specific distinction. If it were a sexual distinction, it might be soon settled by observers in the country where they abound; but the sex of the skin and the skull sent to Europe is rarely, if ever, marked on the specimens. The broad-nosed variety is much more abundant in the Museum than the narrow-nosed one.; and this is against the form of the face being a sexual distinction, as one would suppose that they would be nearly equal in number, unless the narrow-nosed specimens are the males and they are more wary and not so frequently caught. Some naturalists might be inclined to regard them as distinct species; but in the Museum series, large as it is, we have not sufficient materials to decide the question with any confidence. Perhaps, if the skulls of specimens from each locality could be compared, other characters might be found; but this must be left for my successors in this field of research. In the short-nosed species the upperside of the intermaxillary bones is short, and the nasal bones are produced between their edges to the edge of the nostril; and in the genus Halcrosia they are produced beyond it, and form a bony septum between the nostrils. In the long arid slender-nosed species the intermaxillary bones are rather produced behind and the nasal bone does not reach the edge as ‘does the long nostril in the genus Mecistops ; they are considerably short of them; but still the nasal bones come between the hinder ends of the intermaxillaries, and this character at once separates the skull of that genus from the two genera of Garials which have short nasal bones. The skulls of Crocodiles may be separated thus :— 1. Nasal bone produced, and separating the nostril into two parts. Halcrosia. 2. Nasal bone produced, and dividing the edges of the nostril. Oopholis, Crocodilus, Molinia (americana), Bombifrons, Palinia. 3. Nasal bone not reaching the nostril. Molinia (intermedia), Mecistops. The intermaxillary bone in Bombifrons and Palinia is short and truncated behind. In Halcrosia it is rather produced behind, the straight ‘sides converging to a point. In all the other genera it is produced behind, with the hinder edges converging on the sides and truncated at the end. u2 136 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES The palatal bone in all the genera is truncated or rounded in front, except in Mecistops, where it is narrow, short, and acute in front. The skulls of the genera Bombifrons, Oopholis, and Moliniaare easily distinguished in the young state,—the face of Oopholis being much longer and narrower than that of Bombifrons, and that of Molinia is longer and narrower than that of Oopholis. The measurements following are for three skulls which appear to be from animals nearly of the state of growth, same in inches and lines :— Bombifrons. Oopholis. Molinia. in. lines. in. _ lines. in. _ lines. Length of the skull, entire ...........--- 4 8 5 8 6 Length of face to front of orbit.........+.+.- 2 8 3 6 4 4 Length of forehead to front of orbit .......... 2 0 2 1 2 4 Length = palate from condyle to front end of } oe 3 4 3 10 MIEN) GasAcoss casa adonaegobden eS Length of middle suture of maxilla .......... 1 2 1 14 1 7 Length of middle suture of intermaxilla ...... 0 9 1 3 1 6 MAGE OCA aqaotocons Momo OMA Sone 2 6 2 5 2. 103 Width at hinder contraction of beak.......... 1 6 1 4 il 4} Wad the atanopehiserencte wires sretcr trary sete torar 0 9 0 9 0 9 The dorsal scales present considerable variations in different specimens from the same locality ; but, allowing for such variations, the genera cuay be arranged thus :— 1. The dorsal scales nearly uniformly keeled, in four or six longitudinal series; the outer series ovate-elongate. Oopholis. : 2. The dorsal scales nearly uniformly keeled, quadrilateral, as broad as-long. Croco- dilus, Palinia, Molinia, and Mecistops. 3. The dorsal scales quadrilateral, as broad as long; the vertebral series scarcely keeled, the lateral series irregular and keeled. Halcrosia and Molinia. The eyelid of the genus Halcrosia is thickened with hard bony plates, as in some of the Alligators, with which it also agrees in the external form of the head and the disposition of the nuchal shield. In all the other genera it is thin and mem- branaceous. Synopsis of Genera. I. Cervical disk rhombic, separated from the dorsal shield. Normal Crocodiles. A. Nuchal scutella none. Dorsal plates ovate-elongate, in four or six longitudinal series. Estuarine Crocodiles. 1. Oopuoxis. Asia and North Australia. B. Nuchal plates four, in a transverse series. Dorsal plates as broad as long, square. ¥Fluyiatile Crocodiles. OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 137 a. Intermaxillary bone truncated behind, with a nearly straight hinder edge. Face broad, oblong. 2. Bompirrons. Toes webbed. Legs distinctly fringed. Asia. 3. Pauinta. Toes short, free. Legs with only an indistinct fringe: America. b. Intermasillary bone elongate, produced, and truncated behind ; sutures sloping backwards and converging, then transverse or sinuous. Toes webbed. Legs fringed. 4. Crocopitus. Face oblong, without any ridge from front of orbit, forehead flat. Africa. 5. Mouinta. Face elongate, forehead convex, smooth, without any ridge from orbits. America. Il. Cervical disk strongly keeled on each side, and nearly continuous with the dorsal shield. Aberrant Crocodiles. * Face broad, nasal bone produced into the nostrils. Alligatoroid Crocodiles. 6. Hatcrosra. Africa. ** Face very long, slender, nasal bones not reaching the nostrils. Gavialoid Crocodiles. 7. Mecistops. Africa. 1. The nape with a rhombic disk formed of six plates, which is well separated from.the dorsal shield. Normal Crocodiles. A. Nuchal scutella none. Dorsal scales in four or six longitudinal series; the outer series ovate-clongate. Toes webbed. Legs fringed. The intermaaillary bone produced, truncated, and converging on the sides. Estuarine or brackish-water Crocodiles. ; 1. OopHo is. Face oblong ; orbits with an elongated, longitudinal, more or less sinuous ridge in front. Nuchal scutella none, or rudimentary. Cervical disk rhombic, of six plates. Dorsal plates uniformly keeled, in four or six longitudinal series; the vertebral series with straight internal edges, the outer ovate-elongate. Legs acutely fringed. Toes broadly webbed. Intermaxillary bone produced, and truncated behind, the sutures sloping backwards and converging, and then transverse or sinuous. Oopholis, Gray, Cat. Tortoises & Crocodiles in B. M. 1844; Ann, & Mag. Nat. Hist. 8rd series, x. 267. 138 DR. J. E..GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES a. The dorsal scales in six longitudinal series; the vertebral ones elongated like the others. 1. Oopnonis porosus. (The Saltwater Crocodile.) Crocodilus porosus, Schn. Amph. 159. Gray, Cat. Tort. & Croc. &e. Brit. Mus. 58; ‘P. Z. S. 1861, 140. Crocodilus oopholis, Schu. Amph.11. 165. , Crocodilus biporcatus, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. vy. 65, t. 1. f. 4, 18, 19 (young skulls) ; t. 2. f.8. Miiller and Schlegel, Verh. t. 3. f. 6 (middle-aged skull). Owen, Cat. Osteol. Mus. Col. Surg. 159, nos. 719, 723, 724, 727, 728. Huxley, Journ. Proc. Linn. Soc. Zool. iv.11. Blaimy. Ostéogr. Crocod. ts liteSatel taken oe Crocodilus acutus, Owen, Cat. Osteol. Mus. Col. Surg. 157, no. 7138. Champse fissipes, Wagler, Amph. t. 17. Crocodilus biporcatus raninus, Miiller and Schlegel, Verh. t. 3. f. 7 (aged skull) ! Oopholis porosus, Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3rd series, x. 267, 1862. Hab. Asia and Australia; India, Bengal, and Penang (Hardwicke) ; China (Lindsay) ; ‘Trincomalee ; Borneo (Belcher); Tenasserim coast (Packman); Siam, Cambogia (ouhot). Var. australis, Giinther. Crocodile, Landsborough, Explor. of Australia, 1.70. Hab. North Australia (Elsey & Kraiq). Dr. Giinther has pointed out to me that all the Australian specimens which we have examined have one cross band of the shield less than the Indian specimens; that is to say, they have sixteen, and the Indian specimens seventeen bands of shields from the neck to the base of the tail. That is the case both in the small specimen in spirits and the large specimen, 173 feet long, which was procured by Mr. Kraig. In the British Museum there is the skin of an adult from N.E. Australia, another, 13 feet long, received from the Zoological Society, and several (two-thirds half-grown) young specimens, stuffed, and several young specimens in spirits. The largest skull in the British Museum is 29 inches long; the adult skulls vary from 29 to 31 inches in length; a half-grown species is 19 inches long. The skull 26 inches long, is said to be from an animal caught in Bengal that was 33 feet long. Cuvier figures the skulls cf young and half-grown specimens. S. Miller and Schlegel figure two skulls, one under the name of C. biporcatus (f. 6), and the other C. dipor- catus raninus (f. 7): the latter seems to be from an adult or aged animal; the former (f. 6) fiom a full-grown one before the skull is thickened and spread out. Another specimen, figured as C. diporcatus raninus (f. 8), appears to be from a specimen of Crocodilus or Bombifrons siamensis. It certainly is not an Oopholis, from the form of the dorsal scales and the presence of the nuchal ones. There is a good series of skulls of this species in the Museum of the College of Surgeons; but No. 725, named C. diporcatus in the Catalogue, is the skull of an adult Crocodilus vulgaris; and No. 713, called Crocodilus acutus in the Catalogue, is Oopholis porosus. CA onn@iraas OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 139 The British Museum received from the Leyden Museum an adult skull of the Crocodilus (biporcatus) raninus from Borneo; it is 22 inches long, and agrees in every respect with the Oopholis porosus from India. Mr. Landsborough observes, “ harmless as this animal is in Australia, we were not anxious for his company in his native element.”—Exploration of Australia, p. 70. b. The dorsal scales in four series; the vertebral series broader than long, the outer series elongate-ovate. 2. OOPHOLIS PONDICHERIANUS. (Pondicherry Crocodile.) Oopholis pondicherianus, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 3rd series, x. 268. Crocodilus pondicerianus, Giinther, Rept. B. I. t. 7. The specimen of this species in the British Museum is small, and only just hatched, but it is quite distinct from all the others. The vertebral series of plates are nearly twice as broad as those in O. porosus; the others are also rather wider in comparison ; all the dorsal scales are more keeled, and the keels on the scales on the side of the base of the tail are higher, and more prominent. The black spots are larger and further apart. The specimen was purchased of M. Parzudaki of Paris, it having formed part of a collection which he received from the French Museum. B. Nuchal plates four, or rarely two or five, in a cross series. The dorsal plates as broad as long, in four or six series. Fluviatile or River Crocodiles. a. The intermaxillary bones truncated behind, with a nearly straight premavillary suture. Face broad, oblong. To observe the form of the premaxillary suture in the preserved specimens, it is only necessary to elevate the skin of the front of the palate, and lay the bones bare. * Toes webbed. Legs distinctly fringed. Asiatic Crocodiles. 2. BomMBIFRONS. The premaxillary suture straight, or rather convex forwards. The face oblong; forehead with nodules in front of the orbits, but no distinct preorbital ridges. Nuchal plates four, in a curved line. Cervical plates six, in the form of a rhombic shield, distinct from the dorsal one. Dorsal plates oblong, rather elongate, all keeled, in six longitudinal series, and with two short lateral series of keeled scales, The legs fringed with a series of triangular elongated scales. Toes webbed. Bombifrons, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 3 series, x. 269. Skull with the nostril separate, the internal nostril as broad as wide, with a deep pit on each side in front of it, and rather bent down, so as to open nearly horizontally. 140 DR. J. E, GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES 1. Bomsrrrons inpicus. (The Muggar.) (Plate XXXL, figs. 1, 2, 3.) The intermaxillary short, nearly semicircular. Crocodilus vulgaris, var. indicus, Gray, Syn. Rept. 58, 1831! Crocodilus dubius, Geoff. Ann. du Mus. xii. 122? Crocodilus suchus, var. D., Dum. Enc. Méth. Rept. 27. Crocodilus palustris, Lesson, Bélanger, Voy. 305. Gray, Cat. Tort. & Croc. B. M. 62 (young). Owen, Cat. Osteol. Mus. Coll. Surg. 164 & 752! Gunther, Rept. B. Ind. t. 8. f. a. Crocodilus bombifrons, Gray, Cat. Tortoises & Crocodiles &e. B. M. 59, 1844 (adult) ! Crocodilus bombifrons (palustris ?), Huxley, Proc. Linn. Soc. Zool. iv. 13! 1859. Crocodilus biporcatus, Cautley, Asiat. Research. xix. t. 3. f. 1. p. 3! (not Cuvier). Crocodilus trigonops, Gray, Cat. Tort. & Croc. B. M. 62, 1844 (young)! Bombifrons trigonops, Gray, Aun. & Mag. N. H. 8rd series, x. 269! Crocodilus vulgaris, var. B. Dumér. & Bibron, Erp. Gén. iv. 108. Crocodilus rhombifer, Owen, Cat. Osteol. Mus. Coll, Surg. 164, n. 752! (not Cuvier). ? Owen, Cat. Osteol. Mus. Col. Surg. 159, n. 726! Hab. India: Ganges (Dr. Sayer); Madras (Jerdon); Ceylon (Kelaart). The dorsal shields in four series, all equally keeled, with two irregular series of plates on the sides. The shields are often nearly of the same form and size; but sometimes there are larger and broader shields intermixed in and deranging the series, and at other times the whole vertebral series is formed of wider shields. This species has generally been confounded with Oopholis biporcatus and Crocodilus vulgaris. Crocodilus The face of the younger specimen is rugulose and depressed, with a deep pit on the sides over the eighth and ninth teeth; there are two arched ridges on each side behind the nostril, and some rugosities in front of the orbits. In the older skull the face is very convex and rounded, rugose, with some more or less distinct rugosities in front of the orbits, but not the distinct longitudinal ridge so characteristic of Oopholis porosus. Professor Owen described the peculiar form of the premaxillary in a skull in the College of Surgeons Museum, sent from Bengal by Dr. Wallich; but he refers the skull to Crododilus rhombifer of Cuvier, which is an American species. The smallest specimen in the British Museum is 19 inches, and the largest nearly 10 feet long; there are skulls showing that it grows to a much larger size. The specimen I described as C. trigonalis is 244 inches long. In my Catalogue of the Tortoises and Crocodiles in the British Museum, published in 1844, I described it, from two adult skulls from India of 18 and 20 inches long, as a new species, which I called Crocodilus bombifrons, pointing out the straightness of the suture between the intermaxillary and the maxillary bones. I observed that I had seen in the Paris Museum a large specimen which had been described by Duméril and Bibron as an adult of Crocodilus biporcatus, which appeared to belong to this species, stating that it was immediately known from C. porosus by the breadth and convexity of the face. OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 141 In the same work I separated the Indian specimen from the common African Cyoco- dilus, under the name of Crocodilus palustris of Lesson, and pointed out that it seemed to be the same as the Crocodilus biporcatus raninus of Miiller and Schegel; and I described two other very young specimens under the name of Crocodilus trigonops, on account of the shortness and width of the head, The examination of the specimens on which these species were founded, and the com- parison of them one with another when ranged in a series, with the other specimens since obtained interlocated in their places according to their size, have convinced me that they are referable to mere variations of growth of a single species, which is generally spread over the Indian peninsula. Var. Nose narrow, the intermaxillary bones rather longer and narrower. Hab. Ceylon (skull, Kelaart). Fig. 1. and }, Skull of adult C. bombifrons, Gray, 1847. Presented by Capt. Oriel. There may be two species of Ceylon Muggars, as in one of the heads the intermax- illaries appear to be longer and narrower than in the others from the same country. I VOL. VI.—PART. IV. x 142 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES have not sufficient materials to satisfy myself as to the distinctness of this species and the permanence of the forms. Fig. 2. Skull of B. indicus, nearly adult. Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 3. Fig. 4. in. lines. in. lines. in. lines. in. _ lines. [enp ihnot SKULLS... s)atdontensrenatees en AO), 0 17 3 9 10 4 8 Length from occiput to front of orbit... 6 9 5 9 3 if 2 8 benpthronsace crrssierc - ote eieettieeite 13 3 11 6 6 3 2 0 Length of lower jaw ...........4.. 27 0 23 0 none. 5 5 Widthiatiocei patie sia «stiiesieie 1 - 13 5 10 6 Seal 2 6 Width at hinder notch ............ 9 2 6 9 3 9 1 6 Widthat moteh!) ites 5 oF 5 pel 2 4 0 9 The face becomes shorter, compared with the width of the middle of the face, as the animal becomes older. In the young, fig. 4, the length of the head is rather more than three times the width of the swollen part behind the notch. In fig. 3 it is just three times, and in fig. 2 it is OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. . 143 twice and a half the length of the width at the same part; and in the old skull, fig. 1, it is only a little more than twice the width of the face in length. Fig. 3. Skull of B. indicus, half-grown. India, Sir John Boileau. Fig. 4. Skull of young, of natural size (C. trigonops, Gray), Asa good illustration of the difference in the appearance of the skulls of the individuals of the species, I may give the measurement of two skulls of “ Muggars” from India, of the same size, in the British Museum Collection :— Broad variety, Narrow variety. inches. inches. Length of the skull along the forehead ............ 92 92 enipihvof siderorthe|skull -osse es a.. o. ese 102 102 Wadihwoniacictot skulltt...) eee ee peer ens te 5g 53 Madi COnttoRonbitswenrs seen Skamieee Pye. a: 4} 4 Wradthfover:Jareestitaothh): ec sofe let rcrystrtesleas ies 32 3 \ WATER EN 7600] f0 0 ee a ea Pore ae 23 2 or 112 The broad-nose varicty (fig. 3) was presented by Sir John Boileau, and the narrow one by Capt. Boys. - x2 144 DR. J. E. GRAYS SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES When the two skulls are placed side by side, the large teeth are just the same distance apart, and the different teeth in the two skulls exactly agree in size, position and distance from each other. 2. BOMBIFRONS SIAMENSIS. (Siamese Muggar.) The face depressed, elongate, nearly smooth, with a slight nodule in front of the orbits. Intermaxillaries rather elongate, half oblong. Crocodilus niloticus, Latr. Rept. i. 206, t. —. From Faujas St. Fond, Mont. St. Pierre, t. 43. Crocodilus siamensis, Schn. Amph. 157. Gray, Syn. 60; Cat. Tort. & Croc. B. M. 63 (monstrosity) ? From Perrault, Hist. Acad. Sci. ili. 255, t. 54. Giinther, Rept. B. I. t. 18. f. 3. Crocodilus galeatus, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v.52, t.1.f.9 (from Perrault). Dum. & Bibr. Erp, Gén.iii.113, Crocodilus palustris (part.), Dum. & Bibr. Erp. Gén. ii. 113. Crocodilus vulgaris (part.), Gray, Syn. 58. Dum. & Bibr. Erp, Gén. ii, 108? Miiller & Schlegel, | Verh. t. 3. f. 9 (head ?). Crocodilus vulgaris, Owen, Cat. Osteol. Mus. Col. Surg. 107, n. 718? Bombifrons siamensis, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 3rd series, x. 269, Hab. Siam, Cambogia (MM. Mouhot). There is a well-preserved half-grown specimen of this species in the British Museum.* It differs from all the specimens of Bombifrons indicus in the collection in the face being much longer, and not so tubercular and pitted. It has four series of nearly equal-sized, uniformly shaped, and keeled shields, with three interrupted series of unequal-sized smaller shields on each of the sides; those of the outer series are the longest. As the head agrees with the figure of the head from which Schneider named his species, I have retained it; and I have little doubt that the two keels which are present in that specimen are either an individual peculiarity, or perhaps a character that developed itself as the animal approached old age. The skull of the young animal in the Museum of the College of Surgeons, no. 718, appears to belong to this species; but it requires more comparison. It is clearly a Bombifrons, and it is much smoother and longer than the skull of B. indicus of the same size and age. Professor Owen observes, ‘The palatine suture between the premaxillary and maxillary bones passes obliquely backwards a little way at its commencement, and then extends truncated across; but the premaxillary bones are larger than in the second Gangetic Crocodile.” There is a small palpebrary ossicle above the anterior angle of the eyes.—Owen, /. c. p. 157. n. 718. There is a young specimen of a Crocodile, received from Singapore, which somewhat resembles the one from Siam in the form of the head, and has six series of strongly keeled shields on the back; but the four middle ones, of nearly equal size and form, and those of the outer series, are narrower, and there is a series of much smaller ones below on each of the sides. I am by no means convinced that this will form a distinct species, it is probably only an accidental or a local variety. — OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 145 ** The legs with an indented fringe of short, narrow scales. Toes short, nearly free, American Crocodiles. 3. PA.inta. The face oblong; forehead very convex, with a ridge in front of each orbit, con- verging in front and forming a lozenge-shaped space. Nuchal plates two or four, unequal. Cervical disk rhombic, of six large plates. Dorsal plates large, broad, in six series; the vertebral series nearly smooth, the lateral one strongly keeled. The intermaxillary short, truncated behind the premaxillary ; suture straight, transverse.— See Cuvier, Oss. Foss. iii. 72, t. 3. f. 1-5. Palinia, Gray, Cat. Tortoises & Crocodiles, B. M. 1844; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3rd series, x. 270. 1. PALINIA RHOMBIFERA, (Cuban Palinia.) The upper surface of the forearms and thighs covered with convex keeled scales; the outer edge of the legs and feet with a series of very elongate scarcely raised scales, forming only a slight fringe. ‘The toes short, scarcely webbed. Aquez palin, Hernand. Noy. Mexie. ii. 2. Crocodilus rhombifer, Cuvier, Ann. Mus. H. N. x.51; Oss. Foss. v. 51, t. 3. f. 1-4. Tiedem., Oppel, & Lebosch, Nat.Amph.75,t.10. Gray,Syn.Rept.59. Dum. & Bibr.Erp.Gén.iii.97. Sagra,Cuba, t.4! Huxley, Proc. Linn. Soe. iv.10. Blainy. Ostéog. Croce. t. 5. f. 3 (head?) (not Owen). Crocodilus (Palinia) rhombifer, Gray, Cat. Tort. Croc. B. M. 63; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. x. 270. Crocodilus planirostris, Graves, Ann, Gén. des Sci. Phys. de Bordeaux, 11.348. Gray, Syn. Rept. 59. Crocodilus gravesii, Bory de St. Vincent, Dict. Class. H. N. iii. 109, t. Dum. & Bibr. Erp. Gén. iii. 101. Hab. South America, Cuba (W. 8. Macleay, Ramon de la Sagra). In the British Museum there is a well-grown specimen, 5 feet 4 inches long, of this species, collected in Cuba by M. Ramon de la Sagra, and sent from the French Museum. Two young specimens in spirits, sent from Cuba by Mr. W. S. Macleay, are almost 2 feet long, are pale brown, with small dots on the head, and a dark spot on the middle of many of the dorsal scutella; the face is irregularly tessellated with square brown spots. Cuvier described the Crocodilus rhombifer from two specimens :—one in the Cabinet of the Academy of Sciences, in a nearly entire state ; and the other, a very mutilated skin, in the Museum, which also furnished him with the skull figured in t. 3. f£. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of his work on Fossil Bones, pp. 51-70. The original habitats of these specimens were not marked. But M. Ramon de la Sagra sent a young living specimen to the Jardin des Plantes, proving that this is an American species; and it is probable that the Crocodile which Hernandez describes.and figures as coming from New Spain, under the name of Aguez-palin, belongs to this species. M. Graves, in the ‘ Annales Générales des Sciences Physiques de Bordeaux,’ describes a Crocodile under the name of C. planirostris, from a specimen which was formerly in the Colléction of the Academy of Bordeaux, but is now in the Museum of that town. It was procured from M. Journée, a surgeon of a ship that for some time traded with the negroes of the coast of Congo. M. Bory de St. Vincent for these reasons thought it might 146 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES have come from Africa; and he figured and described it under the name of Crocodilus gravesii in the Dictionnaire Classique d’Hist. Nat. vol. ii. p. 109, t. MM. Duméril and Bibron observe that, when they asked for a new account of the specimen, it was in such a bad condition that they could only reproduce the description given by M. Graves. The study of the description and figure, which are the only material now left for the purpose, lead to the idea that it was not distinct from Crocodilus rhombifer, and was most probably brought from the island of Cuba; and the ships which are engaged in trade with the negroes on the coast of Congo frequently visit Cuba, as that island is furnished with slaves from the Congo coast; so that it is not at all unlikely that the specimen was brought from that island, 2. PALINIA? MORELETI. (Yucatan Palinia.) Crocodilus moreletii, Dum. Arch. du Mus. vi. 255, t. 20; Cat. Rept. 28, n. 5*. Palinia? moreletii, Gray, Aun. & Mag. N. H. 3rd series, x. 271. Dorsal scales keeled, nearly square; scales of the sides and limbs smooth, without tubercles. Hab. Yucatan, Lac Flores (M. Morelet). This species is described from a specimen in the Museum of Paris, which is very badly figured and indistinctly described in the memoir above cited. There are two young specimens of Crocodiles, in spirit, without habitats, in the British Museum, which are peculiar in the large size of the nuchal shield, the strength of the keels of the dorsal shields, and the large keeled scales of the forearms and thighs, in which they agree with Palinia rhombifera ; but there is so much difference between the two, and between each of them and the specimens of that species from Cuba, that I think they must be left in doubt for further elucidation. There are also two small stuffed specimens in the collection (purchased of dealers, without any locality attached), which are peculiar in having six series of uniform, squarish, very strongly keeled dorsal scales; they are very unlike any other specimen in the collection, and may be new; but I do not like to describe them in the present imperfect state of our knowledge. b. The intermaaillary bone elongate, produced and truncated behind; the sutures sloping backwards and converging, and then transverse or sinuous. Toes webbed. Legs with a fringe of elongated triangular scales. 4, CROcODILUS. Face oblong, depressed, without any ridge in front of the orbits. Nuchal shields four, in an arched series. Cervical disk rhombic, of six shields. Dorsal plates quadri- > lateral, as broad as long; the vertebral series rather the widest and most keeled. Intermaxillary produced behind. Crocodilus, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 3rd series, x. 271. “The crocodiles live on the mud-banks or swimming about the rivers” of Africa. Dr. Balfour Baikie observes:—“ The ninth upper tooth of crocodiles is said to be OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 147 enlarged likeacanine; but thisisnot correct. I have examined the dentition of eighteen skulls of various species; in the lower jaw there are always nineteen teeth, but in the upper jaw the number in the adult is seventeen on either side, while in the young it is eighteen. This is owing to the second incisor being deciduous; and in old skulls the socket is completely obliterated by the enlargement of foramen for the two anterior teeth. Thus in old animals there are only four teeth in each intermaxillary bone, while in the younger individuals there are always five. So, more strictly, it is the tenth, and not the ninth, upper tooth which is enlarged.”—P. Z. 8. 1857, p. 50. CROCODILUS VULGARIS. (Olive African Crocodile.) Crocodilus niloticus (part.), Daud. Rept. ii. 267. Wagler, Syst. Amph. t. 7. f. 11. 1, 2. Crocodilus vulgaris, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 42, t. 1. f.5 & 12, t.2. f.7. Blainv. Ostéogr. Crocod. 126. Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 3rd series, x. 271. Huxley, Proc. Linn. Soc. iv. 6. C. suchus, Geoff. Ann. Mus. x. 84, t. 3. f. 2-4. C. chamses, Bory, Dict. Class. H. N. v. 105. C. lacunosus, Geoff. Croc. d’ Egypte, 167. C. marginatus, Geoff. Desc. @ Egypte, 365. Gray, Cat. Tortois. 61. Crocodilus cataphractus, Riippell, MS. Gray, Syn. Rept. 78. Mus. Frankfort. Crocodilus verd de Sénégal, Adanson, Sénég. Cuvier Oss. Foss. v. 4. Crocodilus acutus, Owen, Cat. Osteol. Mus. Coll. Surg. p. 157. n. 715, not Cuvier. Crocodilus binuensis, Balfour Baikie, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1857, xxv. 484. Skull described. Green crocodile, Gray, Rep. of Brit. Assoc. 1862, Sections, p. 107. Hab. African rivers. Living on the mud-banks: North Africa, Egypt; West Africa, Senegal (Adanson) ; Gaboon (Murray, Cope); South Africa, Cape of Good Hope; Central Africa, Kwora and Binui (Baikie); Madagascar (Havet, fide Cuvier, Oss. Foss. 44). Fig. 5. Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8. Head and nuchal and cervical shields of Crotodilus vulgaris. 148 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES The largest specimen in the British Museum is nearly 15 feet long. There is a very fine skull received from old Calabar, whose greatest width behind is 13 inches, length above upper surface from end of nose to back of occiput 22 inches, width at the larger lateral tooth 72 inches, at the notch 4 inches. The intermaxillary bones are produced backwards between the ends of the maxilla. The hinder nasal opening is transverse, inferior, and ascending nearly perpendicularly. The nose has two large oblong diver- ging prominences on the sides—one over the hinder edge of the notch, and the other over the hinder part of the root of the largest tooth, behind the notch. There is a second skull from Western Africa in the Museum, of nearly the same length, which is considerably narrower in all its parts. Length along the upper surface from end of nose to back edge of occiput 203} inches; greatest width behind, 12 inches, at largest lateral tooth 6} inches, at the notch 3} inches. These two skulis rather differ in the direction of the suture behind the maxillary bones; in the wider specimen it is much more produced behind than in the other. I have examined and compared with care specimens of different ages from North Africa near the Nile, from West Africa at Senegal and Gaboon, South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope and Natal, and a specimen brought from Central Africa by Dr. Baikie; and though they each exhibited certain peculiarities, yet I believe, as far as the specimens at my command enable me to form a judgment, that they all belong to a single species which is generally distributed over the African continent. At the same time, from the slight differences which the specimens from the different localities do exhibit, I should not be surprised, if we had a complete series of perfect specimens and of skulls of different ages from each locality, to find that there were sufficient differences between them to show that each locality has a speeial local variety or, perhaps, species; but unfortunately there is not in the British Museum, or in the other museums and collections to which I have access, such a series; all the speci- mens from the cape of Good Hope and West Africa seem to be either in the adult or very young state, while those from the other localities are either very young, or of an intermediate age. On the other hand the series of specimens: from the same locality, as from South Africa for example, whence we have most specimens, exhibit variations among them- selves, quite as great as between the specimens from various parts of Africa. It is therefore more safe to regard them all as one species. These species grow to a large size; we have a specimen from the Nile and some from the Cape of Good Hope in the British Museum which are nearly 15 feet long. The skulls which seem to belong to larger specimens often reach the length of 24 or 25 inches. The history of the Nile Crocodile is given in great detail in the fifth volume of Cuvier’s * Recherches sur les Ossemens Fossiles,’ v. 43. Geoffroy St. Hilaire, in his ‘ Essay on the Crocodiles of Egypt,’ separated the Egyptian OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 149 specimens into two species under the name of Crocodilus lacunosus and C. marginatus. In the “ Annales du Muséum,” vol. x. p. 83, he described a third, under the name of C. suchus. Professor Owen has figured the skull of a crocodile, from an Egyptian mummy, under the name of Crocodilus suchus, Geoff., in the ‘Monograph on the Fossil Reptilia of the London Clay,’ published by the Paleontographical Society, 1850, t. 1. f. 2. I do not see how it differs from the crocodiles at present found in the Nile. See also Huxley, Journ. Proc. Linn. Soe. iv. 15. In the ‘Catalogue of Tortoises and Crocodiles,’ p. 61, I separated the adult Cape crocodiles from the North-African specimens, under the name of C. marginatus, because the head is not so narrow; but it is to be observed that most of the North-African speci- mens with which I had compared them were of small size, and consequently had the head less developed. Dr. Baikie described the crocodile of Central Africa, found in the river Kwora and Binue (or Niger and Twedda), under the name of Crocodilus binuensis; it is of a dark green colour, and lives on the mud-banks or swimming in the rivers. Mr. Cope, ‘ Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia ’ for 1859, p. 296, regards the crocodile of Equatorial Western Africa (Ogobai) as the Croco- dilus marginatus of Geoffroy. Dr. A. Smith, referring the Cape specimens to Crocodilus marginatus, observes, “ they are occasionally found in the rivers west of Port Natal, but more abundantly in those to the eastward and northward, and occur in such numbers in the rivers in a district north of Kurrichane, between 24° and 22° south latitude, that the natives who used to reside there were known by the appellation Baguana=the people of the crocodile.”—Zool. South Africa, Appendix 2, 1845. MM. Duméril and Bibron in their ‘ Erpétologie Générale,’ iv. 104, divided their Crocodilus vulgaris into four varieties, thus :— Var. a. The Crocodilus vulgaris of Geoffroy, from North Africa, Egypt, and the Nile. Var. b. Crocodilus palustris, Lesson, described from a specimen sent from the Ganges by M. Duvaucel, and from the coast of Malabar by M. Dussumier. Var. c. the Crocodilus marginatus, I. Geoffroy, from North Egypt and the Cape of Good Hope. Var. d. the Crocodile verd of Adanson, from the Nile, the Niger, and Senegal. There is no doubt that vars. a, c, and d are true Crocodiles, and are what is considered, in this essay to be the Crocodilus vulgaris of Africa. Var. 4 on the other hand does not belong to the same genus. I have not the slightest doubt this variety is founded on young and half-grown specimens of Bombifrons indicus, most distinct from Crocodilus vulgaris by the form of the head and the structure of the skull, as MM. Duméril and Bibron would have found, if they had examined any of VOL. VI.—PART IV. vy 150 DR. J. E. GRAYS SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES the twelve specimens which they say they procured. They have named the adult specimen in the Paris Museum Crocodilus biporcatus. In the ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History,’ vol. xviii. t. 7, Dr. Falconer figures the skull of a Crocodile under the name of C. marginatus, which is in the Belfast Museum. It is said to have been brought from Sierra Leone; but I think that this must be a mistake: it is not like the skull of any Crocodile I have seen from West Africa, and it is not a bad representation of the skull of a half-grown Bombifrons indicus from India. Can the habitat be a mistake ? perhaps the habitat was only intended for the first-de- scribed species, Cataphractus mecistops, for which it is the true locality. A skull of Crocodilus vulgaris is described in Professor Owen’s ‘Catalogue of Os- teological Specimens in the Museum of the College of Surgeons’ under the name of Crocodilus acutus, p. 157. n. 715. 5. Moumnia. « Face elongate ; forehead swollen, convex, especially in the adult; orbits without any anterior ridge. Nuchal plates two or four, small. Cervical disk rhombic, of six plates, the side plates generally small.“ The legs fringed with a series of triangular elongate scales. Toes webbed. Scales of the forearm and thigh thin, smooth. Muzzle oblong, elongate, slender, with a swollen convexity on the middle of the face before the eyes. Nostril not separated by a long ridge: the internal nostril pos- terior, with an oblong sloping opening; the intermaxillary suture produced behind between the ends of the maxille. Molinia, Gray. Ann. & Mag. N. H. 3rd series, x. 272. * Face slender. Dorsal plates irregular ; the central series small, keeled ; lateral scattered, strongly keeled. Nasal bones produced to the nostrils. Molinia. 1. Monimia Americana (American Crocodile). Crocodilus americanus (Plumieri), Schn. Amph. ii. 23. Gray, Cat. Tort. & Croc. &c. B. M. 60. Crocodilus acutus, Geoff. Ann. Mus. ii. 53, t. 57. f. 1. Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. t. 1. f.3 & 14, t.2. £.5. Gray, Syn. 60. Dum. & Bib. Erp. Gén. iii. 120. Owen, Cat. Osteol. Spec. Mus. Col. Surg. 157. n. 711, 712, 714, 716; Reptiles of the London Clay, t. 25. f.10. Briihl, Skelet. Krokod. t. 8:& 9, t. 10). 17. Crocodilus americanus (acutus, Cuv.), Huxley, Journ. Proc. Linn. Soe. iv. 11, 1859. Molinia americana, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 3 ser. x. 272. ’? Crocodilus biscutatus (part.), Cuvier, Oss. Foss. x. t. 2. f. 6. Tiedem. Amph. t. 12. Crocodilus de St. Domingue, Geoff. Ann. du Mus. ii. 53, t. 27. f. 1. Hab. Tropical America. Cuba (W. §. Macleay); Jamaica (B.M.); West Ecuador Nicaragua (Fraser ; Richardson); West coast of America (Belcher); St. Domingo (Cuvier); Guatemala (Salvin). The specimens in the British Museum vary in length from 19 to 103 inches; and the skulls show that they grow to a larger size. OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 151 Var. with two additional small cervical scutella behind the others. B.M. Crocodilus americanus, var.? Gray, Cat. Tort. & Croc. B. M. 60. Crocodilus acutus, var., A. Dum. Cat. Rept. 28; Arch. du Mus. vi. 256. Molinia americana, var., Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 272. Hab. West coast of America (Belcher); Mexico (Warwick). Cuvier in his essay gives the history of this species under the name of Le Crocodile a museau effilé, ou de Saint Domingue (Crocodilus acutus, nob.), Oss. Foss. v. 458, and figures the skull at t. 1. f. 3 & 14, and the nuchal shield at t. 2. f. 5. Professor Briihl described and figured the skeleton of this species in his work. There is the skeleton of a well-grown specimen in the British Museum, and several skulls. The central prominence of the hinder part of the muzzle is sometimes much less developed than in the typical skulls. ** Face very slender. Dorsal plates nearly uniform. Nasal bones not produced quite to the nostrils. ‘'Temsacus. 2. MOoLInIA INTERMEDIA (Orinoco Crocodile). (Plate XXXII. figs. 4—6.) Dorsal plates in six rows, all slightly and nearly equally elevated; the keels of the two yertebral series rather larger than the others, quadrilateral, rather broader than long; the lateral ones oval, with five or six large plates forming an interrupted line on the sides. Crocodilus intermedius, Graves, Ann. Sci. Phys. i. 344. Gray, Syn. 59. Crocodilus journei, Bory, Dict. @H. N.v. ii. Dum. & Bib. Erp. Gén. iii. 129. A. Dum. Arch. du Mus. x. 172, t. 14. f. 3 (head). Huxley, Proc. Linn. Soc. iv. 11. Crocodile de ? Orénoque, Parzudaki, MS. Mecistops journei (part.), Gray, Cat. Tort. & Croc. B. M. 58, from Bory. Molinia intermedia, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 3rd series, x. 272. ?? Mecistops bathyrhynchus, Cope, Proc. Acad. N.S. Philad. 1860, xii. 550 (skull). Hab. America: Orinoco. There is a young specimen in spirits in the British Museum, sent by M. Brandt, of Hamburg, as Crocodilus acutus, and an adult skull, 20 inches long, received from Paris as Crocodile de Orénoque, and a second very large skull purchased in London. In my Catalogue of Tortoises and Crocodiles in the British Museum Collection, from all I could then learn, I was induced to believe that the Crocodilus intermedius of Graves was the same as the Crocodilus schlegelii of Borneo, and therefore called the Bornean animal Mecistops journei. M. Duméril, in his paper in the Archives du Muséum, not seeing the mistake, says that I refer the true Crocodilus intermedius to the genus Mecistops, and suggests that Crocodilus acutus ought also to belong to it. M. Auguste Duméril, for the purpose of comparing the head of this Crocodile with that of Crocodilus leptorhynchus of West Africa, gave a figure of the head .and front part of the back of the Crocodile de Journée, Archiv. du Mus. x. 173, t. 14. £3; but it does not appear whether it is from a specimen, or only an enlarged copy of the figure of y2 152 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES M. Bory de St. Vincent. If the latter, it is so embellished that one is unable to recognize its origin. Fig. 10. Figs. 9 & 10. Skull of Molinia intermedia: adult. Il. Nape with a broad flat-topped shield formed of two or three pairs of keeled plates, strongly keeled on each side, and nearly continuous with the dorsal shield. Legs fringed. Toes webbed. Abnormal Crocodiles. * Face broad; nasal bone produced into the nostril. Alligatorian Crocodiles. 6. HALCROSIA. The premaxillary suture transverse, rather convex backwards. Nasal bones produced beyond the intermaxillary, and forming a bony septum between the nostrils. The palatine bone produced to the same level as the lateral opening—that is, to the lateral inflection of the skull. The face oblong, broad, without any ridge in front of the orbit. Eyelids with two bony plates. Nuchal plates four, in a cross row, strongly keeled. Cervical plates three or four pairs, forming a ridge on each side, the hinder one smaller. Dorsal plates in four series; the central broad, slightly keeled, the outer narrow, dis- tinctly keeled; sides with large convex scales. Halcrosia, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 3rd series, x. 273. Osteolemus, Cope, Proc: Acad. N. S. Philad. xii. 550. It has the square head and the elongated cervical shield formed of single pairs of scutella, and the bony eyelids, of the Alligators with bony eyelids; but it is a Crocodile, and there are two bones in the eyelid instead of one\as in Caiman palpebrosus. Si OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 155 The skull of the Alligator palpebrosus is easily known from that of this species even in the young by the cheeks of the former being flattened and nearly erect, and of the latter spread out, and in the supratemporal fossze being open, while in the Alligator they are closed even in the young specimens. Most probably it was from the examination of a skull of this Crocodile that the statement has arisen that in some Alligators the canine teeth sometimes fit into a notch in the upper jaw, and not into a pit as they normally do in that genus. I will not under- take to say that such an abnormal state does not exist in the genus Alligator; but I have not observed it. Hatcrosia ni@ra (Black African Crocodile). (Plate XXXI. figs. 4, 5, 6.) Krokodile noir du Niger, Adanson, MS., Mus. Paris. See Cuvier, Oss. Foss. iii. 41. Crocodilus niger, Latr, H. N. Rept. i. 510, from Adanson,. Crocodilus palpebrosus, var. 2, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. iii. 41, t. 2. f. 6 (part.). Crocodilus trigonatus (part.), Cuvier, Oss. Foss. iii. 65. African Black Crocodile, Gray, Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1862, Sections, 107. Osteolemus tetraspes, Cope, Proc. Acad. N.S. Philad. xii. 550. Crocodilus frontatus, A. Murray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1862, pp. 139, 213, fig. head, t. 29. by Ford. Strauch, Syn. Croce. t. 1 (head, young). Halcrosia frontata, Gray, Aun. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3rd series, x. 277. Hab. West Africa: Senegal (Adanson); Gaboon ; Old Calabar; Ogobai River (Cope). Figs. 11-14. Head and cervical and nuchal plates of young Halcrosia nigra 154 DR. J. E. GRAYS SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES Black, slightly mottled with pale whitish. Head pale olive, black dotted; sides of lower jaw black-banded; muzzle broad, oblong, trigonal, rather dilated on the sides; forehead high, broad, and flat, with a small tubercle at the front angle of the orbit. Nuchal shields strongly keeled, two ina cross line in two groups. Cervical shields six, in three pairs, all close together, the two anterior pairs of equal size, large, strongly keeled, and bent in on the outer sides, the hinder pairs much smaller. ‘The vertebral series of dorsal shield broad, square, scarcely keeled, with one, and in the front of the back two rows of oval, elongated, keeled shields on the side of them, and a few isolated, scattered, compressed, high, tubercular-like, small, ovate shields on the sides of the body. Shields of the upper arm oblong, trigonal, keeled, in six oblique cross series. The lines of the upper jaw sinuous, three-parted, the front with five, the second with seven, and the hinder with five teeth. The largest specimen I have seen is in the Free Museum at Liverpool, which is nearly 5 feet long, but I have no doubt it grows larger. The muzzle of this specimen from the tip of the nose to the orbit is 33 inches, its width in front of the orbit 25 inches, and at the notch of the canine teeth 1} inch. The eyelid is obliquely divided from the front of the orbit to the back of the eye. The Black African Crocodiles appear to be a common species on the west coast of Africa; for they are often brought to the Port of Liverpool by the palm-oil ships, and frequently in a living state; indeed I am informed there were some lately alive in the Society's Gardens in the Regent’s Park. Mr. Andrew Murray, at my recommendation, has described it in the ‘ Proceedings’ of the Society as a new species of Crocodile under the name of @. Frontatus; for at that instant it did not occur to me that it might be the Black Crocodile of Adanson, noticed as an Alligator. It is to be observed that, though they have specimens of this Crocodile in the Paris Museum in such abundance as to part with the skeleton of it asa duplicate, it is not included as. Alligator palpebrosus, or under any name, in M. Auguste Duméril’s List of the Reptiles of West Africa, printed in the last volume of the Archives du Muséum of Paris. This Crocodile has very much the external appearance of the Caiman with bony eyelids, Crocodilus palpebrosus, Cuvier; and I think it very likely that Cuvier mistook a specimen of it in the Paris Museum, which Adanson had marked with his own hand * Krokodile noir du Niger,” tor a specimen of that species. (See Cuvier, Oss. Foss. iii. p- 41.) And it is still confounded with that species by the French naturalists; for there is a skeleton in the British Museum, lately sent from M. Braconier, of the French Museum, under the name of Caiman & paupiéres osseuses. Adanson, in his ‘ Voyage to Senegal,’ at p. 10, mentions the occurrence of Crocodiles, and at p. 73 a second kind of Crocodile, which is as large as the other, and distin- guished by the black colour and by the jaws being much more elongated. It is more carnivorous, and said to be fond of human flesh. hm AT OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 155 Cuvier, in his Essay on the species of existing Crocodiles, first published in the 10th volume of the ‘ Annales du Muséum,’ and reprinted in his ‘ Ossemens Fossiles’ under the head of Le Caiman & paupiéres osseuses (Crocodilus palpebrosus, nob.), after dividing this species into two varieties, expressed a doubt if they were not inhabitants of different continents. He observes, “One of my individuals, which has been for many years in the Museum, has on it the half-effaced name of Krokodile noir dw Niger in the hand-writing of Adanson,’—and proceeds thus :— “This naturalist, in his ‘ Voyage,’ speaks of two Crocodiles in the Senegal. M. de Beauvois adds that he saw at Guinea a Crocodile and a Caiman. It is therefore clear that there is a species with the form of a Caiman that inhabits Africa. “There remains still an embarrassment. Adanson says his Black Crocodile has the muzzle longer than the Green, which is certainly the same as the Crocodile of the Nile ; but we have a specimen ticketed by his own hand which has a much shorter muzzle than that from Egypt. ' “Has Adanson made a mistake in writing this phrase? or has he erroneously ticketed the specimen? How are we to disentangle these errors?” &c., vol. v. p. 41. Duméril and Bibron, in their ‘ Erpétologie Générale’ (vol. iii. p. 75) adopt and repeat all that Cuvier has said, and still doubt if these two varieties may not be found, the one in America, and the other in Africa, If Cuvier and his successors had examined the two specimens on which they founded the account of his second variety of C. palpebrosus, they would have found that they were not only distinct species, but also species belonging to two genera or subgenera. The one which had served as the model for Seba, and which Seba, with the usual inat- tention to true habitats at that period, said came from Ceylon, was a true Alli- gator, and a native of America; and the other, ticketed by Adanson as from the Niger, was really a Crocodile from Africa : so that the sarcastic observation which he made on travellers, and which may in some cases be true, in this instance was uncalled for, the traveller being in fact more accurate than the cabinet naturalist ; and Adanson only made a slip of the pen in saying the beak was longer instead of shorter than the common Green Crocodile; and any one who compares the Black Crocodile of Africa with an American Caiman will not think that M. Beauvois was very much out when he called it a “ Caiman.” Cuvier, in his Essay, when describing Crocodilus biscutatus, established on the Gavial du Sénégal of Adanson, again refers to the Crocodile noir of that author. He states that among the drawings of Adanson there is the figure of a Crocodilus vulgaris, named Crocodile noir, and a Caiman & pawpiéres osseuses, inscribed the Crocodile vert. This must evidently have been an inadvertence, like the statement of the length of the nose ; but, as Cuvier observed, this is pardonable, as Adanson most probably named these draw- ings after he had forgotten them, and had been studying other things, long after his voyage, which occupied some of the first years of his youth. (See Cuvier, Oss. Foss. iii. 53.) 156 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES A Caiman, in some of its characters, but which is nevertheless a true Crocodile, with the canines fitting into a notch, and not into a pit, in the upper jaw, is, there cannot be any doubt, the Crocodile that Adanson referred to; for it agrees with his descrip- tion in colour and in its ferocious habits. And further that it is the Crocodile that the French naturalists refer to, is proved by the fact, already recorded, that we have received from one of the persons employed by M. Duméril at the Paris Museum a skeleton of a young specimen of the Black Crocodile of West Africa as the skeleton of the American Alligator palpebrosus of Cuvier. ** Face very long, slender; nasal not reaching to the nostril. Gavialian Crocodiles. 7. Mecrstops. Face subcylindrical, scarcely dilated in the middle; orbits simple. Nuchal shields numerous, small, in two cross series. Cervical disk narrow, containing two or three pairs of plates. Dorsal plates small, all keeled, in six longitudinal series, lateral one narrowest. Intermaxillary produced behind, and embracing the front end of the nasal. Mecistops, Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3rd series, x. 273; Cat. Tortoises & Crocodiles B. M. 58. Huxley, Proc. Linn. Soe. ivy. 15, 1859. This genus has some resemblance to the Gavials; but the structure of the skull and the position of the teeth are those of a true Crocodile. Professor Owen observes, “There is, however, a very close resemblance in the elon- gate, slender proportion of the skull and the elongated festooned border of the jaws between this species and the Crocodilus schlegelii from Borneo.”—Loe. cit. p.158. The Crocodilus schlegelit is a Gavial. Dr. Falconer observes, ‘The nasal bones (in Mecistops) are extremely narrow and attenuated, but, as in the true Crocodiles, they descend between the maxillaries so as to project into a notch between the intermaxillaries. ‘The same holds good in C. schlegelii, where, as with Gavials, the nasal terminates a short way in front of the orbits, and does not enter into the formation of the anterior portion of the beak” (p. 363). ‘ This cha- racter is a good diagnostic mark between the Crocodile proper and the Gavials, separating C. schlegelii from the latter genuss under which Miiller ranged it” (p. 363). Dr. Balfour Baikie states, “In all essentials the skull of the Mecistops shows it is to be properly classed as a member of the family Crocodilide rather than the Gavialidie. The teeth are irregular, the sides of the jaw are not parallel; there is a distinct swelling opposite the ninth remaining upper molar; and the lower canines are received into notches in the upper jaw.’ —P. Z. S. 1857, p. 58. OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 157 Mecistops caTapHRactus. (African False Garial.) (Plate XXXII. figs. 1, 2, 3.) Crocodilus biscutatus, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. ii. 52, 65, t. 5 (very young). Crocodilus bisulcatus, Bory, Dict. Class. N. H. vy. 108, misprint. Crocodilus cataphractus, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. t. 5. f. 1, 2 (crocodile 4 nuque cuirassée) ; [copied A. Dum. Arch. du Mus. x. t. 14. f. 2]. Dum. & Bib. E. G. iii. 126 (young). Bennett, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1834, p.110. Owen,Cat. Osteol. Spec. Mus. Coll. Surg. p. 155. n. 710 (Cuvier’s type). The Crocodile, Bowdich, Madeira, 232. Crocodilus leptorhynchus, Bennett, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1835, p. 129. A. Dum. Arch. du Mus. x. 252 & i. 17], t. 14. f. 1. Mecistops cataphractus, Gray, Cat. B. M. 58. Mecistops bennettii, Gray, Cat. B. M. 57. Gavial of Senegal, Gray, Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1862, Sect. 107. Mecistops, Balfour Baikie, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1857, p. 58. Hab. West and Central Africa; ? Fernando Po (Bennett), Gaboon, Lagos. Central Africa, River Binué (Baikie). : The species has been described from small young specimens. It grows to a large size. There is an imperfect specimen which is scarcely adult, in the British Museum, that was sent from Fernando Po by Capt. R. F. Burton, which must have been 13 or 14 feetlong. Unfortunately it wants the head ; the body is 5 feet and the tail 8} feet long. Fig. 16. Figs. 15-18. Head and cervical shield of Mecistops cataphractus. The specimen, originally sent by Mr. Bennett, was said to have come from Fernando Po; but Dr. Balfour Baikie observes that Fernando Po is a small volcanic island, totally without the muddy rivers delighted in by Crocodiles, and possessing nothing but streams, which during the rainy season are tumultuous mountain-torrents, with rocky beds.—Proc. Zool. Soc. 1857, p. 58. VOL VI.—PART IV. 158 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES Most probably Mr. Bennett’s specimen came from the coast, and was only received through agents at Fernando Po. Cuvier, in his Essay, described, under the name of Crocodilus biscutatus, and figured the nuchal shields at t. 2. f. 6, a species of Crocodile founded on a specimen in the French Museum, which is labelled in Adanson’s hand “ Gavial du Sénégal,” and also on a very mutilated stuffed specimen which Cuvier found in the Museum of the Academy of Sciences at Paris (see Oss. Foss. vy. 53, 65, t. 2. f. 6). He observes:—“ the colour of these specimens is scarcely darker than that of the common Crocodile; therefore it cannot be the Black Crocodile of Adanson.” And he further specially remarks that “the jaws are a little longer and narrower than those of C. vulgaris, but not so long and slender as those of C. acutus.” It resembles the latter in the dorsal shield of the vertebral line being only slightly keeled; but its peculiar character is that the middle of its nape is armed with two large pyramidal shields, and with two smaller ones in front of them. This Crocodile has been a paradox until this time. MM. Duméril and Bibron regarded this mutilated specimen as only a specimen of the American Crocodile (C. americanus) with an anomalous development of the cervical and nuchal shields, observing that the specimens of this species are liable to variation in this respect; but yet they do not describe any as exactly resembling Cuvier’s description or figure. It does not appear that the specimen labelled by Adanson came under the examination of these naturalists; at least I cannot find any reference to it in their work. Cuvier unfortunately does not state its size; but I have a strong opinion that it must have been a very young specimen of Mecistops cataphractus before its elongated jaws were developed, and that the name of Gavial du Sénégal was very applicable to it; the back is grooved, by the flatness of the vertebral series of shields, as described by Cuvier, and as is characteristic of the American Crocodile (C. acutus) with which MM. Duméril and Bibron compared it. But this is a question that can only be solved by the examination of the original specimens. Cuvier, in his Essay (vol. v. p. 58), observes, ‘* When in England in 1818’, I saw at the ' T recollect this visit with pleasure; for I was deputed by Dr. Leach to show this celebrated naturalist and wavering politician some of the natural-history treasures, and also some of the social and political peculiarities of the metropolis, such as the Tower, the Bell and Lancaster and other schools, &e. Among the rest, I took him to the Westminster election, at Covent Garden. Being known to Sir Francis Burdett, I took M. Cuvier on to the hustings, and introduced him to some of the Westminster notabilities, whom he knew by reputation, and was anxious to see in person. He was so interested in these bygone saturnalia that we lingered tod long; for when Capt. Murray Maxwell attempted to speak, we were glad to “duck our heads” to ayoid the cabbage-stumps, rotten eggs, and dead cats and dogs with which the Captain was assailed; and when the mob attempted to take the hustings by storm, and were only driven off by the men-of-war’s men who were retained by Capt. Murray’s committee, we found it difficult to retreat. Cuvier visited England again in 1830, during the short revolution which placed Louis Philippe on the throne, While here, the Zoologists invited him to a dinner at the Albion Tayern: he was greatly pleased with what he called the almost royal magnificence of the OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 159 Museum of the College of Surgeons a dried specimen of a Crocodile.” This he describes and figures under the name of “Crocodile & nuque cuirassée” (Crocodilus cataphractus, nob.). In 1834 Mr. Edward Turner Bennett (Proc. Zool. Soc. ii. p. 10) gave a notice of a specimen of Crocodilus cataphractus of Cuvier being alive in the gardens of this Society. At the meeting of the Society on the 22nd September, 1835 (Proc. Zool. Soe. iii. p. 129), after the animal had died, on more close examination, he described this animal as a new species, under the name of Crocodilus leptorhynchus; and Mr. Martin added some notes on its internal anatomy. It is to be observed that Mr. Bennett and I were misled on this occasion by the erroneous breadth given to the animal in the figure published by Cuvier ; for he speaks of the length of the head “being to its breadth as 3 to 1,” instead of as 23 to 1. In my Catalogue of the Tortoises, Crocodiles, and Amphibians in the Collection of the British Museum, published in 1844, I formed a genus under the name Mecistops for this animal, and for the first time described a full-grown specimen of it which we had received from the Gambia as MW. bennetti; for Mr. Rendal considered it distinct from Cuvier’s animal, but observed that they might be varieties. This might all have been avoided if we could have seen the original specimen ; but when I inquired for it, it could not be found. i The specimen described and figured by Cuvier is fortunately now to be seen in the Museum of the College of Surgeons, referred to under No. 710 in the Catalogue of Osteological Specimens of that collection. It is a young dried specimen of the Crocodile which is now so frequently brought from the west coast of Africa, and it affords no ground for the supposition of M. Duméril, expressed in his paper ‘“‘ On the Reptiles of Western Africa” (Arch. du Mus. v. 252), that these may be distinct species; and it shows that the figure of Cuvier, though characteristic, is not very carefully drawn, and that any difference that may appear results from the want of accuracy in the figure, and is not to be found in the animal itself,—supporting the opinion that I expressed in my paper in the ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History,’ 5rd series, x. p. 274. M. Auguste Duméril, in his paper “ On the Reptiles of Western Africa” (Archiv. du Mus. x. 271), gives a good figure of a half-grown specimen of this species under the name of Crocodilus leptorhynchus, t.14, and places by the side of it a tracing of Cuvier’s figure of Crocodilus cataphractus, to show that they cannot be alike; but the entertainment. During the dinner the news arrived that the Orleans party had succeeded; he and his step- daughter, Miss Duvaucel (who was in the gallery with some ladies), immediately displayed the national colours. Cuyier’s political predilections were not strong; for he had held office under Napoleon and under the Bourbons, and he made no secret that he came provided so as to acknowledge the success of either party : he had a white and a tricolour cockade in his hat ready to show as the occasion required. When I visited him in after times, he more than once referred to the events of his visits. “2 160 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES comparison of the specimens on which these species were founded shows how much better it is to refer to nature than to depend on figures and descriptions, which are liable to the imperfection attending human observation and record. Dr. Falconer, in the ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History’ for 1846 (xviii. 362, t. 6), described and figured a skull of this species under Cuvier’s name, which was in the Belfast Museum, and said to have been sent from Sierra Leone. Dr. Balfour Baikie described the skull of a specimen from the River Binué (see Proc. Zool. Soc. 1857, p. 58). Family III. ALLIGATORID®. The upper and eleventh lower teeth longer, like canines, the canines of the lower jaw fitting into holes or perforations on the edge of the upper jaw. Alligatoride, Gray, Cat. Tortoises &e. B. M. 56, 1844. Huxley, Journ. Proc. Linn. Soe. iv. 3. Alligator, Cuvier. Gray, Ann. Phil. x. 195. Teeth strong, unequal; the hinder ones differ in shape from the anterior. The front pair of mandibular teeth, and the fourth pair (canines) are received into pits on the edges of the premaxilla and maxille. The mandibular teeth behind these pass inside and not between the maxillary teeth. The premaxillo-maxillary suture on the palate is straight or convex forwards. The symphysis of the lower jaw is short. Spix, in his work on Brazilian Lizards, gives very good figures of the Alligators, with the colours well marked. The Memoir on South-American Alligators by Natterer, contains very accurate and detailed figures of the head and the neck-shield of the different species. He has figured some varieties or species very nearly allied to those here noticed, which have not come under my observation. Spix divided the Alligators into two genera:—Jacaretinga, with acute nose (1. J. moschifer, t. 1= Caiman palpebrosus, p. 161; 2. J. punctulatus, t. 2=Jacare punctulata, p. 159); and Caiman, or Jacare, with blunt nose (including 1. C. niger, t. 4=Jacare nigra, p. 167; 2. C. fissipes=Jacare latirostris, p. 167). His figures are very good representations of the species—indeed, the best knowh. MM. Duméril and Bibron admit the three species described and figured by Spix, thus :— 1. A. sclerops, p. 74; Caiman noir, Spix, Bras. t. 4. Head elongate, flattened, a ridge in front of each eye, the upper eyelid finely striated. Nape with two rows of small oval compressed scales. Back with two central longitudinal ridges, the three last cross bands of six keeled scales. Black, yellow-banded. I have no specimen agreeing with the account of the nuchal scales and the eyelid of A. selerops: according to Spix the dorsal scales are elongate. 2. A. cynocephalus, p. 86, Caiman fissipes, Spix, Bras. t. 3. Head short, broad, thick, a ridge in front of each eye, the upper eyelid rugose. Nape with two rows of 6 ey he an 6 ie OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 161 large square keeled shields. Back scale keeled, the three last cross bands of four scales Sides with some strong keeled scales. Back green, black-dotted. 3. A. punctulatus, p. 91, Spix, Bras. t.2. Head elongate, nose flattened, with a rounded point in front, without any preocular ridges, upper eyelid rugose. Nape with two rows of shields. Back flat, scarcely keeled. Sides with some larger scales. Yellow, black-dotted. John Natterer, in his ‘‘ Beitrag zu den Siid-Amerikanischen Alligatoren,” edited by Fitzinger, describes eight species of the genus Champsa: five have partly bony eyelids, and three have them entirely bony. The five former belong to the genus under con- sideration. The preorbital ridge distinct, beak broad with three lateral foveole, eyelid striated, beak broad and blunt. C. nigra, t. 21. The nuchal scutella many, in three series. C. fissipes, t. 22. The nuchal scutella many, in two series. C. sclerops, t. 23. The preorbital ridge evanescent, beak without lateral foveoli, eyelids rugose. The frontal ridge flexuous, bent in front. C. vallifrons, t. 24. The frontal ridge arched, bent back. C. punctulata, t. 25. M. Natterer gives the following proportional measurements of the heads :— Length of Width of Width of Beak Length of Width of Crown Crown above the Head. Head. before. before. eighth tooth. in. 1 mig) OE soe 15 ins: 41. in. 3 CHampsasmioral. oi omg sieges «eo GY) eh (0) 3 6 4 9 5 dl HISSINOS) Btevecosye acter ieee a) Tacs 10 3 6 -o ff 3.8 4 0 SCLELOPS te tre ere tases shear sae’: ag As 5 68 st} 3.3 3.3 VALLftONS | mi ateeatetee eines ste M0) 4 6 2 0 2 9 2Ht'3 PUTO) abe es a cies =) rotate 10 5 5.4 2 ayo Su 2 Died The figures of the heads of the last two species differ from that of C. sclerops chiefly in the nose being narrower (C. punctulata being the narrowest and very slender), narrower than in any specimens that have come under my observation; the lower jaws in the figure also differ in shape, that of C. vallifrons being the most slender. Dr. Strauch, who had M. Natterer’s specimens to examine, regards the two latter as the same species, but distinct from selerops. Synopsis of Genera. I. The ventral scutelia like the dorsal ones, bony and articulated together, forming a shield. The eyelids with an internal bony plate. The cervical scutella in pairs, forming an elongated shield. Nasal bone short. Tropical America. 1. Jacare. The orbits united by a bony cross ridge. Eyelids partly striated or rugose. 2. Carman. The orbits not united by a cross ridge. Eyelids bony, entirely smooth. 162 DR. J. E. GRAYS SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES Il. The ventral scutella thin, the dorsal scutella bony, not articulated together. The eyelids fleshy, smooth. The cervical scutella in pairs, separate. Nasal bone elongate, separating the nostrils. North America. 3. AtLicator. The face broad, depressed. Section I. The ventral scutella like the dorsal ones, bony and articulated together, forming a shield. The eyelids with an internal bony plate. The cervical scutella in pairs, forming an elongated shield. Nasal bone short. ‘Tropical America. 1. JACARE. Head moderately high, shelving on the sides. Orbits united by a distinct bony cross ridge. Eyelids striated or rugose, strengthened by a small internal bone. The cervical scutella four or five pairs, forming a shield; the dorsal and ventral scutella both consolidated together, forming a dorsal and yentral shield; the gular and ventral scutella smooth. Jacare, Gray, Cat. Tort.Croc. &c. B.M.64,1844; Ann. & Mag. N.H. 3rd series, x. 327, 1862. Husley, Proc. Linn. Soe. 1859, 4. Jacaretinga, Spix, Lacert. The pits in the maxilla are the cavities left by the preorbital ridges as they advance. The intermaxillary bone short, truncated behind, with an elongate-oval or lanceolate cavity between this and the front of the palate. The figures of Natterer’ are excellent to general appearance, but they do not agree with the measurements of our specimen; that is to say, the nose of Champsa jissipes, from the ridge, is about the same length as the forehead, but in his figure it is represented as larger, and it is so in all the other figures: perhaps this is to allow for the perspective. A. Head elongate ; interorbital ridges strong. Dorsal scutella elongate, keeled, keels of vertebral series highest ; lumbar scutella in six longitudinal series. Nuchal scutella small, compressed. Eyelids striated, with a rather large internal bone. Back black varied with yellow. Melanosuchus, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 328. 1. JAcarE niGRA. (Black Jacare.) Crocodilus sclerops, Schn, Amph. 162. Blainy. Ostéogr. Crocod. t. 3. f. 2, t. 4. f. 18. Crocodilus yakare, Daud. Alligator sclerops, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 35, t. 1. f.6 & 7,t. 2. f. 3. Briihl, Skelet. Krokod. t. 12. f. 3,5, 6,7, 19. els Alligator sclerops, var., Gray, Syn. Rept. Caiman niger, Spix, Bras. t. 4 (good). Champsa nigra, Natterer, Beitr. t. 21 (good). OF RECENT CROCODILIANS, 163 Alligator niger, Owen, Cat. Osteol. Spec. Mus. Coll. Surg. p. 704. n. 166 (adult). Jacare nigra, Gray, Cat. Tort. & Croc. 65; Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 328, 1862. Hab. Para, 13 feet long (Graham); Guiana (Owen). I think it better to adopt Spix’s name, as sc/erops has been used for all the species. B. Head short; orbits with diverging ribs in front to edge of. jaw. Dorsal scutella broad, slightly keeled, equal; the lumbar scutella in four longitudinal series. Nuchal scutella distinct, in two cross series. Eyelids rugose, with a small internal bone. Back olive, banded with brown. Cynosuchus, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 328. In many of the specimens the first scale of the nuchal shield has two keels, in others it has only one; but in several specimens the scale has two keels on one side and only one on the other. a. Head short, broad, depressed, with very distinct preorbital ridges to the edge of the jaw. Cervical disk short, broad, formed of four bands of scutella. Sides of jaws pale, with a series of dark spots. 2. JACARE LATIROSTRIS. (Dog-headed Jacaré.) Dorsal shields in eight longitudinal series, four on each side. Ventral shields in twelve series. Crocodilus latirostris and C. yacare, Daud. Rept. ii. 407, 417. Caiman fissipes, Spix, Bras. t. 3 (good). Champsa fissipes, Wagner, Icon. t. 17. Natterer, Beitr. t. 22 (good). Crocodilus sclerops, Wied. Abbild. t. Blainy. Ostéogr. Crocod. t. 3. f. 2, t. 4. f. 13. Schinz, Rept. t. 112. Jacare fissipes, Gray, Cat. Tortoises B. M. 64. Alligator sclerops, Pr. Max. Abbild. t. Alligator cynocephalus, Dum. & Bib. Erp. Gén. ii. 86. Jacare latirostris, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 328. Hab. Brazils; Pernambuco (J. P. G. Smith); Surinam. The nose of the young specimen is as long as the width at the eighth tooth. The nose from the ridges nearly as long as the back of the head; width of the muzzle at the notch one-half the length of the head. Var. 1 (three young, in spirit). Head short; side of face pale, with a dark spot under each ear, and another larger under each eye. The lower jaw pale, five round spots on each side, the middle one, under the eyes, the largest. Back black, with inter- rupted or irregular pale brown cross bars. Hab. Pernambuco (J. P. G. Smith). The smaller specimen is peculiar for the very small size of the ventral shield in front 164 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES of the vent. The spots on the side of the face and lower jaw are to be seen in the older specimens when they are between 3 and 4 feet long. Var. 2. Head rather larger and narrower. The nose from the ridge rather longer than the back of the head; width of the notch two-fifths the length of the head. Cheek and side of the lower jaw with five large black spots. Ventral shields in twelve series. Dorsal shields four. Hab. South America; Lake of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 3. JACARE MULTIScUTATA. (Brazilian Jacaré.) With sixteen series of ventral shields; hinder ventral shields very narrow. Dorsal shields in ten longitudinal series, five on each side. Hab. Brazil. A skin in the British Museum (46. 7. 10. 41). b. Head elongate, longer than the width at the eighth tooth, with none or only indistinct evanescent ridges from the front of the orbit. Cervical disk oblong, elongate, of Jive series of scutella. * Face depressed, broad ; sides of the jaws with a series of large coloured spots. 4. JAcaRE LoNnaiscuTata. (Long-shielded Jacaré.) (Plate XXXIV.) Dorsal scutella elongate, longer than broad, uniformly keeled, in ten longitudinal series on the middle of the body; ventral scutella elongate, in fourteen or sixteen longitudinal series. Sides of the jaws pale, with five or six band-like spots; the inner pairs of the first and second series of cervical scutella large and equal-sized. Jacare longiscutata, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 828, 1862. Hab. South America. Brit. Mus. This is very like the following; but the head is rather broader, and the dorsal and ventral shields are much larger, and more numerous. It is known from the young of Jacare nigra by its olive colour, the spots on the sides of the jaws, and the presence of the distinct nuchal scutella. 5. JACARE OCELLATA. (Eyed Jacaré.) (Plate XX XIII.) Dorsal scutella broad, uniformly keeled, in eight longitudinal series in the middle of the body; ventral scutella in twelve longitudinal series, the hinder ones smaller, longer, and more numerous; the central pair of cervical scutella in the first series smaller than those that follow. Jacare ocellata, Gray, Ann, & Mag. N. H. x. 829, 1862. Hab. Lake of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. British Museum. 2S OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 165 ** Face attenuated, rather high on the sides; sides of the jaws one-coloured. 6. JACARE PUNCTULATA. (Dotted-jawed Jacaré.) Back yellow, banded with brown; the sides of the head yellow; upper and lower jaws yellow, one-coloured, or minutely speckled; sides of the neck smooth, with flat scales. Nose rather high and square. Jacare sclerops, Gray, Cat. Tortoises B. M. 64. Crocodilus sclerops, Schn. Amph. 162. Cuvier, Ann. Mus., & Oss. Foss. v. t.1. f. 6 & 7, t. 2. f. 3. Tiedem. Amph. 60, t.5. Guérin, Icon. t. 2. f.2 & 10. Gray, Syn. Rept. 62. Dum. & Bib. Erp. Gén. iii. 79. Crocodilus americanus, Laur. from Seba, t. 104. f. 10. Crocodilus caiman, Daud. Rept. ii. 394. Caiman (Jacaretinga) punctulatus, Spix, Bras. t. 2 (good). Champsa sclerops, Wagner, Syst. t. 7. f. 1, 2, and f. 42. Natterer, Beitr. t. 22 (heads good). Alligator punctulatus, Dum. & Bibr. Erp. Gén. u. 91. Jacare punctulata, Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. x. 329, 1862. Hab. Brazil (Spix); Surinam; Argentine Republic (//. Christy). Natterer figures two other species, under the name of Champsa vallifrons (t. 24), (Jacare vallifrons, Gray, Cat. B. M. 65), and Ch. punctulata (t. 25) (Jacare punctulata, Gray, Cat. B. M. 65), which seem to differ from the former in the head being narrower and more tapering. I have seen no specimens agreeing with these figures; but they look very like varieties of the above. At the same time, some of our specimens appear to have a more attenuated snout than others; but when you apply the callipers to the nose and to other parts of the head, the absolute proportions of the parts are very nearly the same. A stuffed specimen from the Argentine Republic measures 6 feet 9 inches long, the head from the occiput is 103, and the nose from the ridge 62 inches. In another, from the Zoological Society’s Gardens, 5 feet 10 inches long, the head from the occiput is 10 inches, the nose from the ridge 64 inches long. A series of young specimens in spirits are pale brown, the back and tail with narrow brown cross bands, those on the back sometimes broken into square spots; the cheek and outside of the lower jaw pale yellow, without spots. The sides of the nuchal disk dark-coloured. 7. JACARE HIRTICOLLIS. (Rough-necked Jacaré.) The scales on the sides of the neck rough, spinulose, pale yellow; back and tail brown, cross barred; cheek and sides of the lower jaw yellow, not spotted. Hab. Demerara. B. M. I may observe that, characteristic as are the figures of Dr. Natterer’s paper, none of them exactly agrees in measurements with the specimens in the British Museum. In some specimens of the Jacare the first and, sometimes, even the second cervical VOL. VI.—PART IV. 2A 166 DR. J. E. GRAY’S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES scutella have two keels, in others only one; but this is no specific distinction ; it is not rare to find species with two keels on one side of the neck, and only one on the other. 2. CAIMAN. Head high, flattened on the sides, angulated above. Orbits without any ridges. The eyelids smooth, strengthened with a large, single, internal bony plate. The dorsal and ventral scutella bony, articulated together, forming a dorsal and ventral shield; the gular and lateral ventral plates keeled, the abdominal ones smooth; the cervical scutella four or five pairs, with sometimes one or a pair interposed between the second and third pairs. : Skull with the superior temporal fossze obliterated, the circumjacent bones uniting, the eyelid with a single large bony plate covering the whole upper surface. Vomer not apparent on the palate. Caiman, Gray, Cat. Tortoises &c. Brit. Mus. 66,1844; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3rd series, x. 330. Huxley, Proc. Linn. Soe. iv. 3. This genus has been divided into two species—one having the cervical shields two, and the other four in a cross series; in all the latter there are two in a cross series, with one or two interpolated between the shields. I have seen no specimen which agrees in the the nuchal shields with either of the figures in Cuvier, Oss. Foss., though our two species agree in other respects with his figures ; and how such species with distinct organic characters could be regarded as varieties, I am unable to learn. I cannot conceive what induced M. Cuvier in his ‘ Essay’ to consider the two South- American Alligators with bony eyelids varieties; for he justly observes, ‘‘ ‘The Crocodile of St. Domingo is not more distinct from the Crocodile of the Nile than these two varieties are from each other.” In the Latin synopsis of the species, which is appended to the paper, they are regarded as distinct, and the second one is called C. trigo- natus. Yet MM. Duméril & Bibron, in their work, persist in following Cuvier’s first idea of their being only varieties, and in regarding Adanson’s specimens as belonging to the second variety, and also in doubting if the “ two varieties,” are both from America. The specimen in the British Museum proves most distinctly that there are two very distinct ‘Alligators with bony eyelids found in ‘Tropical America; which agrees well with the character that M. Cuvier and MM. Duméril & Bibron give to the two varieties of that species; and these species are, as Cuvier observes, as distinct from one another as C. americanus from C. vulgaris. The heads of both these species are figured by Dr. ? John Natterer in his ‘ Essay on American Alligators” in the Vienna ‘'Transactions.” This author also figured a third species, which he calls A. gidbiceps, which, if it is separable from A. trigonatus, must be distinguishable from it by very slight characters. The Black Crocodile (Lalcrosia palpebrosa) of West Africa has so much resemblance OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 167 to this animal that Cuvier considered Adanson’s West-African specimen a variety of this species. Duméril & Bibron evidently considered the African and the American animals the same species; and we a short time ago received from M. Braconier, of the Jardin des Plantes, a skeleton of the African species under the name of Alligator palpe- brosus, var. A. Head shelving on the sides. Nuchal scutella in a single cross series, cervical scutella jive pairs; dorsal scutella highly keeled, irregular, in six series; the lumbar scutella in two longitudinal series; the gular and two outer lateral series of ventral scutella keeled. The flat upper disk at the base of tail broad and strongly crested. Paleosuchus, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 330. 1. Caiman Trigonatus. (Rough-backed Alligator.) Crocodilus trigonatus, Schn. Amph. 161. 6. Tiedemann, Amph. 66, t. 67. Crocodilus palpebrosus, var. 2, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. y. 40, t. 2. f. 1. Caiman trigonatus, Gray, Cat. Tortoises &c. B. M. 66; Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 330, 1862. Alligator palpebrosus, Brithl, Skel. Krok. t. 19. f. 3. Champsa trigonata, Natterer, Beitr. t. 26 (good). Hab. '‘Tyopical America. The largest specimen in the British Museum is rather above 4 feet long. The young specimens have the lateral ventral shields keeled. B. Head flat, and erect on the sides. Nuchal scutella many, in two cross series ; cervical scutella three pairs; dorsal scutella slightly keeled; the lumbar scutella in four longitudinal series; the gular, the ventral, and the lateral abdominal scutella keeled. The flat upper disk at the base of the tail elongate. Aromosuchus, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 330. 2. CAIMAN PALPEBROSUS. (Banded Alligator.) Brown ; tail black-banded. Crocodilus palpebrosus, var., Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. t. 1. f. 6-17 and t. 2. f. 2. Champsa palpebrosa, Natterer, Beitr. t. 27 (good). Caiman (Jacaretinga) moschifer, Spix, Bras. t. 1 (skull). Caiman palpebrosus, Gray, Cat. Tortoises &c. B. M. 67; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. x. 330, 1862. Crocodilus palpebrosus, Tiedem. Nat. Amph. t. 6. Alligator palpebrosus, Merrem, Syst. 35. Gray’s Syn. Rept. 63. Hab. Tropical America. Natterer figures the head of a species under the name of C. gibbiceps; but I deh not see how it differs from the above, except that the head is a little higher—perhaps a sexual distinction.- Dr. Strauch regards C. gibbiceps as the same as C. palpebrosus. 2a2 168 DR. J. B. GRAY’'S SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES = Section II. The ventral scutelia thin, the dorsal scutella bony, not articulated together. The eyelids fleshy, smooth. The cervical scutella in pairs, separate. Nasal bone elongate, separating the nostrils. North America. 3. ALLIGATOR. Head depressed, broad, without any ridges in front of the orbit. Snout very broad, flattened and rounded at the end; the ninth maxillary tooth the largest. The eyelids smooth, fleshy. The dorsal scutella not articulated together, in six longitudinal series ; the ventral scutella thin; the gular and abdominal shields smooth ; nuchal scutella one pair, small; cervical scutella three pairs, hinder smallest. Nostril separated by a bony septum. The feet webbed. Dorsal plates in six longitudinal series, the two vertebral closer together. The sides with a short series close to the others, sometimes reduced to only one or two shields. Alligator, Gray, Cat. Tort. B. M. 66; Ann. Mag. N. H. x. 330, 1862. Huxley, Proc. Linn. Soc. iv. 3. Champsa, Wagler, Syst. d. Amph. 140. ALLIGATOR MISSISSIPPENSIS. (Alligator.) Alligator, Catesby, Carol. t. 63. Crocodilus mississippensis, Daud. Rept. u. 412. : Crocodilus lucius, Cuvier, Ann. Mus. x., and Oss. Foss. v. t.1.f.8; t.2.f. 4. Tiedem. Amph. 58, t. 4. Merrem, Zool. 34. Owen, Cat. Osteol. Spec. in Coll. Surg. p. 165. n. 760, 761. Blainy. Ostéog. Crocod. t. 2. f.1,t.5.f.1. Briihl, Skelet. Krokod. t. 8. f.5,6, t. 9. f.3,t. 10. f. 3, 4, t. 11. f. 2, 3, t. 20 £. Alligator mississippensis, Gray, Cat. Tortoises B. M. 66; Amn. & Mag. Nat. Hist. x. 331, 1862. Crocodilus cuviert, Leach, Zool. Mise. 11. 117, t. 102. Alligator lucius, Merrem, Tent. 34. Dum. & Bibr. Erp. Gén. ii. 75, t. 25, 26. Alligator cuvieri, Bory de St. Vincent, D. C. H. N. v. 104. Hab. North America, New Orleans, Texas. Var. 1. The nose very broad and short. The largest specimen of this variety in the British Museum is nearly 4 feet long. Var. 2. The nose narrower and longer. The largest specimen in the British Museum is of the same size as the former, which is nearly 4 feet long. Are they the two sexes ? The young specimens in spirits have the back black, with narrow white cross bands. The head pale brown, black-varied. Ventral shields in eight or ten longitudinal rather irregular series. There is a very young specimen of this species in spirits, from New Orleans, in the British Museum. It is black, with white cross bands. The beak is short, rather slender, with a ridge of skin in front of each eye, giving the appearance of a frontal ridge. OF RECENT CROCODILIANS. 169 EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. PLATE XXXI. Figs. 1, 2, 3. Skull of Bombifrons indicus. Adult. Figs. 4, 5, 6. Skull of Halcrosia nigra. Half-grown*. PLATE XXXII. 2, 3. Skull of Mecistops cataphractus. Adult. Length 21 inches. Figs. 4, 5, 6. Skull of Molinia intermedia. Adult. Length 30 inchesf. PLATE XXXIII. Jacare ocellata. Young: stuffed. Natural size. PLATE XXXIV. Jacare longiscutata. Young: stuffed. Natural size. * Called on the Plate “ Halcrosia frontata.” + Called on the Plate “ Crocodilus intermedius.” 6. Halicrosia frontata. ’ ine} A n 5 ‘H 5 ~Q Go) N =, 45 ee ee al Ni I a al ‘we %—t = «1. ee ee OAS Ree OD ae ee Tia oY DONE. LOU « 1, 2,-3, MECISTOPS CATAPHRACTUS GH Ferd. 45,6, CROCODILUS INTERMEDIU< WWest amp 5; py N, Cty Lith: Me Wh 6. Ye, eC a, imp. OCELLATA. JACARE G.H Ford eee VIVINOSIONOT WHVOVe a eta a VIII. Note to Memoir on the Indian Cetacea collected by Sin Wavrnr Euiot. By Professor Owen, F.RS., E.Z.S., he. Read May 9th, 1867. In relation to my paper on Indian Cetacea, read before this Society on the 26th of June 1865, and published in the Society's ‘ Transactions’', I have received the following letter from Sir Walter Elliot, K.S.I., F.Z.S., to whom I was indebted for the specimens upon which my observations were based. Travellers’ Club, 15th April, 1867. “Dear Pror. Owen,—Soon after my arrival in town a few weeks ago, my attention was called to some of the details in your paper on Indian Cetacea, in the Zoological Society’s ‘Transactions.’ In replying to some inquiries of Mr. Flower, at the College of Surgeons, regarding the skull of Physeter simus, I noticed that you had described two individuals, a male and a female, whereas I had never met with more than a single female specimen of this animal. I was puzzled to account for this; but as Mr. Sclater, who was with me at the time, stated that the original drawings from which the Plates had been taken were at the Zoological Society's office, I took an early opportunity of referring to them. I also sent to Scotland for a note-book in which I had entered remarks on specimens as they were obtained. On comparing these with your paper I found that the inaccuracies I had observed had been caused entirely by my own careless- ness in furnishing you with the scanty and imperfect materials on which your paper was founded, and by my omission to eliminate a faulty drawing. “You may remember that I first brought the crania to you in 1863, to know whether you thought them of sufficient interest to be described. On my return to Scotland, I sent you drawings with some remarks of my own, but overlooked the faulty figure entirely, which thus remained in the packet with the true ones. In April 1865 you wrote to me for some further information with reference to the notes written on the drawings, and added that you could only find two skulls, although my notes referred to others. In reply I sent you copies of all the memoranda I could find, and said that the crania must be with you, as I had left them all at the Museum. I came to London some weeks later, and on calling to see you I found the crania were still missing; but they were subsequently discovered, and your paper was prepared. “To account for the origin of the erroneous figure, I must premise that the office I held in Madras from 1849 to 1854 was a very laborious one, demanding my whole 1 Vol. vi. p. 17. 172 PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA. time, and leaving little leisure for other pursuits. Having always been fond of natural history, I kept a draughtsman continually engaged in depicting objects of interest. My house was on the sea-shore, and the fishermen from several miles along the coast used almost daily to bring me something or other which they considered to be rare or curious. But as I went to my office at 10 o'clock a.m., and did not return till 6 or 7 P.M., my artist had orders to proceed with his sketches as soon as the speci- mens were brought to him. On my return home in the evening, my first business was to inspect his work. By dint of constant supervision, I brought him to the exercise of scrupulous accuracy. If I found the least mistake, I had another drawing made the following day. He was principally engaged on naked mollusks, crustacea, and the mutations of lepidoptera, which he drew with the aid of the microscope. To the exactitude of these, Messrs. Alder and Hancock’s paper on the Indian Nudibranchs, in a former volume of the ‘ Transactions, bears testimony. “The Wongu or Physeter was brought to my house on the 28th of February, 1853. On examining the sketch the same evening, I was not satisfied with it, and therefore directed a more accurate drawing to be made, which was done, under my inspection, early the following morning. I was much interested in the specimen, which I believed to exhibit an entirely new form; and I made the following note in pencil on the back of the revised drawing, which is still legible:—‘ If the description of the Porpoise-family is correct, this must be a very different genus. The mouth is small, very much under the rounded snout, not reaching so far back as the eye, which is far above it, in a line with the rounded snout. The blow-hole is in front of the eyes, and (in this individual’) to the left of the middle line of the back, opening diagonally, with the points curving slightly backwards. Colour above shining black, smooth; beneath pale, and in this one discoloured with blood. Fore part (é.¢. in front of the dorsal) depressed; behind the D. much compressed; the part nearest the tail rising into a sharp ridge.’ On the face of the drawing I wrote in ink ‘ new sp. Tel. name, wongu: adult ¢ : Waltair, March 1, 1853;’ and under the mouth I noted the dentition ‘3.4.’ On the first or cancelled sketch, the only writing was a note in the handwriting of the painter, ‘Found at Waltair on the 28th Feby. ’53, and, in Telugu characters, the name ‘ wongu.’ “Having completed the drawing, I made the following entry in my note-book :— ‘March 1, 1853.—A large Porpoise was brought by the Vizagapatam fishermen, of which the following is the description :— ft. in. Totallength Ri wi. We se APART toes |. oN nee aera ae (fee. fiat) ao avi, $n Brom’ muzzle vorspiracle sy). 5.0.8 soya miele ore Ont Prom. spiraclembo dorsalis cfye ska puesst rep eysy eae Ae) From commencement of dorsal to end of caudal .. 3 10 —— 7 2 T then thought this circumstance was accidental, PROFESSOR OWEN ON INDIAN CETACEA, ] =I Oo Length of dorsal from insertion in front to tip ................-.-. 1 BYC AGH GEG s ons cate re aor iarastt rays Ste eva, cal apnateva eke jetep tsar Sheree isis)» Behe ee tel Lateral measurements. Length from snout to insertion of pectoral.................. Ly 0 Length from insertion of pectoral to vent ..........0....0.. 3.7 Length from vent to centre of caudal...................05: 2) 3 (ee Inferior measurements. Henethy from) snowiseo verbal. wa coy conc aig eae = oe ie 2 5 0 Length from vent to centre of caudal...................-.. eas - 7 3 EROUM SHOUD LORONCHS = otc: Soares ete Tossen 8 aie endo ans ann ote eee OY ial Length ofigape 0. 9.22. . occiap os eileen des pte deena ctrl ce i Girth=where largest (in front’ of dorsal)’ 2.000. 2 2 2 0s aoe Oe 4 4 Henethval pectorakactk oxi. sabe tnd vac: dee hf) ie beretbaa et 2 Li 92 Breadthjofjcawdal of oni. an Ss epcme ieee eee a, ai oe a 1 10 erie ON Otaven GR PO OE es Ee ee eet ie eee One Length of small apertures at either side of ditto..................... 0 2 “«*This very remarkable animal does not agree with any known genus or species. The fishermen call it wongu. The snout is rounded and blunt, the mouth, small and placed far below it, the teeth $.$—=20. The eyes considerably above. the mouth, and nearly over the termination of or a little behind the gape; the spiracle before the eyes, situated to the left of the dorsal or central line, obliquely placed as regards its length, slightly curved and the points turning backwards. «

] = = 5 .M.&B. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 99. mexicanus, Gthr. 100. seminudus, Gthr. Evcrenocosivs, Gill. 101. sagittula, Gthr. . Srcypium, C. & V. 102. plumieri, B/. . Exeorris, Cuv. 103. *maculata, Bi. 104. somnolenta, Girard 105. dormitatrix, Bl. . 106. *longiceps, Gthr. 107. *picta, Kner . 108. *seminuda, Gthr. Amstyopvs, C. & V. 109. *brevis, Gthr. Buennivs, Artedi. 110. brevipinnis, Gthr. Sararias, Cuv, 1li. atlanticus, C.§ V. . Cuinus, Gthr. 112. nuchipinnis, Q. & G. 113. delalandii, C. & V. 114. *macrocephalus, Gthr. . Cremnosates, Gthr. 115. *monophthalmus, Gthr. Spuyrana, Artedi. 116. picuda, Bi. 117. forsteri, C.§ V. . ATHERINICHTHYs, Gthr. 118. *pachylepis, Gthr. . 119. *guatemalensis, Gthr. . Mueit, Artedi.. 120. *brasiliensis, Agass. 121. *incilis, Hancock 122. proboscideus, Gthr. Aconostoma, Benn. 123. *microps, Gthr. . Mexico, Rio Motagua Panama . Panama . Ail. & Pac, (Panama) Ail. & Pac. (Huamuchal) Ail. & Pac. (Cardon) Atl. (Rio Motagua, Yzabal) Lake of Nicaragua Rio Bayano Panama . Panama . Fam. BLENNIID. Pacif. Atl. & Pac. . Atl. § Pac. . Atl. & Pac. . Panama. Panama . Fam. SPHYRANID/. At See eee Ae Ind. Oc. & Pac. (Chiapam) Fam. ATHERINIDZ. Panama . Huamuchal Fam. MUGILIDZ. All. & Pace. . Atl. (Chagres) . Atl. & Pac. (Cardon) . Rio Guazalate . 389 390 124. *nasutum, Gthr. 125. *monticola, Bancroft . Myxvs, Gthr. 126. harengus, Gthr. . Fistunaria, Lacép. 127. tabaccaria, L. Sicyases, Mill. & Trosch. 128. fasciatus, Ptrs. Gostesox, Lacép. 129. *rhodospilus, Gthr. . 130. nigripinnis, Ptrs. 131. nudus, BZ. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. Rivers of both sides of C. America (R. San Geronimo, R. Motagua, Panama) ob Culisnaahs W. Indies and rivers of both sides of C. America . Panama . Fam. FISTULARIID. All. & Pac. . Fam. GOBIESOCID. Puerto Cabello Panama . Puerto Cabello Atl. & Pac. (Cardon) PHARYNGOGNATHI ACANTHOPTERYGII. Fam. POMACENTRID. PomacentRvs, C. § V. 132. *rectifrenum, Gill . 133. leucostictus, Miill. & Trosch. . GuiyPHipopon, Cuv. 134. saxatilis, L. 135. concolor, Gill 136. declivifrons, Gill He.istss, C. & V. 137. *marginatus, Casteln. . Lacunotamvus, C. & V. 138. falcatus, L. CossyPuus, Giinth. 139. rufus, L. : 140. diplotenia, Gill . 141. *pectoralis, Gill . PuatyGtossus, Gthr. 142. bivittatus, Bl. 143. *dispilus, Gthr. . Psruposutis, Blkr. 144. *notospilus, Gthr. Pacif. & Atl. Atl. Xi re B.D a EE All. & Pac. (Cardon) Pac. (Cardon) . All. & Pac. . Fam. LABRID. Atl. Atl. BME eh fteh Rech ae Panama, Lower Calif. . es Panama, Lower Calif., St. Helena (? Cuba) Atl. Panama . Panama . BSS FE = 5S SES DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 391 Juuis, Gthr. Taaveicasana Gta. sane PanamagloweriCalifs |) hws ous Po eM Scarus, Blkr. Peer aepeanrdty Bly oto. oa ACO tes. kk kus, Ut ee Pseuposcarvs, Blkr. WEG REGED GAN GRIT] Paes eco ILS. at ne a a rr eh re Tye AG EMaCAM alan Cn Gh Veter i> ..*spme Aly ween RR A MPEIU = ee ke oe Fam. GERRID®. Gerrgs, Cuv. eevee OG Ve. «ts, Ate I ts Re ane sO Oneraxlarisy Gynec =¢ vos “Ohiapaie File | 6 0 eet eR: 151. *brevimanus, Gthr.. . . . Chiapam . . te 0 Ae oe Cae WEN ee wee Ie 152. rhombeus,C.§V. . . . . Atl. & Pac. (Chiiapam) pay EAE {Os aA IM, 153. squamipinnis, Gthr. . . . (Jamaica) Atl. & Pac. (Chiap. & Panama) 5) oo Bball Hamme ption Ccaleetic te +n tau cdt oe buc(Panama) -) ashe.) he) 2) eee een Te EGgeendouit, Gil’. 2 . « .» « taelrz Fam. CHROMIDES. Acara, Gthr. 156. *czruleopunctata, Kner § Steind. Chagres River . ........... ~(*#F. Heros, Gthr. iby. *parma,Gihr.». . . . . «» «+)Mexico,R.Chagres& R.Motagua . ... . FE maneeemarcari¢ier, Gi ..@: . « « MuakePeten’ sce. ac. < - eeey pe 159. *melanopogon, Steindachner . . ?Lake Peten . .....-...2.2.2. **8F. 160. *melanurus,Gthr. . . . . . LakePeten. . . eS eek net Oe eT 161. *macracanthus,Gthr. . . . . Chiapam & Becaetener 2 ecg ks acpdeiecdar eRe DO: RG eR BILMINAGt ATs; > 1. (. elo, Motasua, Vzabal. ... 5 . =) 5° Sea a Be 163. *nigrofasciatus,Gthr. . . . . Lakesof Amatitlan& Atitlan. . .. ... *F, ieteemultispinosus, Gir. . » . . Uakeof Managua. . 2 2°. 2 | = .9-* 5 iS5eemloneiniantis; Gir e.g ae ge pia yebakesof-Nicaracua se. . <0: «0 seen = «1 166. *urophthalmus,Gthr. . . . . Lake Peten. . . | eee, eee a NG Ae aureus; Gia =o .. «asp e) fy Nzabal,“Rio or ee or ed Felis HGS. *afinisiGiHin . . . . >. » . WakePeten.. . nyt Louherdin® Cael 169. *labiatus,Gthr. . . . . . . Lakes of Managua & Missive i) —aawiddeity WAOhckerypbreeusnG tay) © 2 siete.) * Liakeroh Manacua..... c= 1. «hey Sita eR: WieeOGOCHNURNGAT Ys 9... . . fiakeroteManapia, sos. =° J. ruth deeucianen ell We -ecetirinellas Git 2 ~ = « WakelofsNicararuay; .. 4) leeks esaee Guaeee Fam. CYPRINID#, ScieroGnartuvs, Gthr. BO MIMerCONANS NGI ik eo) were IO Wsumacintd, woos 9 +) 6 6 ese tig wee RS Fam. CLUPEID. Cuanos, Lacép. 268. salmoneus, Forst.. . . . . . Indian & Pacific Oceans (Chiapam) . . . .M.&B. Axsuta, Gronov. 269. conorhynchus, Bl. . . . . . Tropical & Subtropical seas (Panama) M Mreators, Lacép. 270. thrissoides, Schn.. . . . . . Atlantic . M PristicastEr, Cuv. Cileme Mane psnGeiinr ey ie «8 aye. Panama si 2 ot es) Moe fk cute yc) et eM wiewdovi, Gir . s.. . . . Panama’ M Cuiurra, Artedi. 273. *libertatis,Gthr. . - . . . . Libertad . M Cuaroissvs, C. & V. Oye PCLENENSIS GATS) fants ese aaa elakebbeteneetwehdd. 6 Ties 2) 4) ws 2 one Eneravtis, C. & V. Pi DMUTOWMICAgys ee) is (Atlantic: & Pacific (Libertad) 08“ 22s) Mee B. agomenocye ener ciStemdachner: . . kioBayano), < . : =. = =. o-. = =) 4) HE 27 ecmuerplienduia. Kner & Steud. . WiOwbayano). % ~ % « % ‘ests ae tse Rb CrTEeNGRAULIs, Gthr. PMS me ray RhICewss GiiTan s-8) - s seeacifiercoastiof banama 3/8." wees ee ee eM Fam. GYMNOTID/. Cararus, Miill. & Trosch. LOM MAARCIALIS, POI, f. %@ x © %, % AOsMOtagUa. -,. 5. v. ris) Sue eROg Tare”, Aaa 396 Dk. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. Oruiurvs, Lac. 280. triserialis, Kaup. 281. boro, Ham. Buch. . 282. breviceps, Richards. . Morana, Cuv. 283. lineopinnis, Richards. SymBrancuvs, Bi. 284. marmoratus, Bi. 285. immaculatus, Bi. . Diovon, Kaup. 286. sex-maculatus, Cw. Trtropon, L. 287. *politus, Girard 288. *geometricus, Gthr. . Osrracion, L. 289. cornutus, L. 290. bicaudalis, L. Bautstes, Hollard. 291. vetula, Z. 292. *frenatus, Lacép. . 293. niger, Osbeck ALEUTERES, Cuv. 294. monoceros, Osbeck LEpPIDOsTEUS 295. *tropicus, Gill . Mustetvs, Bonap. 296. *dorsalis, Gill . ACANTHIAS 297. vulgaris, Risso . CarcHARIAS 298. *maculipinnis, Poey . ZycHna, Cuv. 299. tiburo; ei. a a Rurnosatus, Mull. & Henle. 300. *leucorhynchus, Gthr. Fam. MURANIDZ. Atlantic & Pacific . : Indian Ocean, West Indies . Pacific coast . Atlantic & Pacific (Panama) Fam. SYMBRANCHID#. M., B., & F. Atlantic (Rio Chisoy, Huamuchal, Lake Peten), Pacific Coast of Guatemala . PLECTOGNATHI. Indian & Pacific Oceans (Panama) San JOScis: ot cy) tae Panama & Galapagos Isls. Tropics Atlantic . TOULCE! Wiese eee ; Indian & Pacific Oceans (Gonzalez Isl.) . Ind., Pac., & Atlant. Oceans Ind., Pac., & Atlant. Oceans GANOIDEI. Huamuchal . ELASMOBRANCHII. Panama Atl., Ind., & Pac. Oceans (Panama) Cuba, Chiapam . Atl. Panama M., B., & F. M. M. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 397 Pristis, Lath. 301. antiquorum, Lath. . . . . . Atl. & Pac. Oceans (Chiapam). . . . . . . Mz Urororaus, Miill. § Henle. Bozcmacmuraisr Grilli wee ert rs eeePACI TERE SS ky eg te Aétosatis, Miill. & Henle. 303. *latirostris, 4. Dum.... . . . Gaboon,Panama .. ..... .. +... M, §6. Partial Identity of the Fish-faunas of the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts of Central America. It will be seen that, as far as our present knowledge reaches, of these 303 species, 173 are truly marine forms, 57 being found on both sides of the Isthmus. 25 have been found in brackish water, of which 3 are found on both sides of the Isthmus. 101 are freshwater fishes, 17 being found in rivers of the Atlantic and Pacific sides. There will be but very few species which are entirely limited to brackish water, and which may not be with equal propriety added either. to the marine or freshwater fauna. Thus, five of the 25 species hitherto known from lagoons with brackish water belong to freshwater genera ; and, admitting two groups only, we have 193 marine fish, 59 of which are found on both sides of Central America=304 per cent. 106 freshwater fish, 19 being found in rivers of the Atlantic and Pacific sides=18 per cent. From the circumstance that our collectors paid more attention to the freshwater than to the marine fauna (at least of the Atlantic coast), we may assume that the pro- portion between the two groups will be increased by future researches in favour of the marine fauna, but that the proportion between species peculiar to one side and those common to both will be lessened, inasmuch as every collector will discover other Atlantic forms on the Pacific side, and vice versd. The very curious fact of the partial identity of the species of both coasts of Central America was first distinctly stated by myself in the Society’s ‘ Proceedings’ for 1861 (p. 370), when, out of fourteen species collected by Capt. Dow on the Pacific side, five were found to be Atlantic forms. To these various others were added by me in the ‘Catalogue of Fishes;’ and Mr. Gill confirmed this observation in Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1862, pp. 140, 249. Professor Wagner, in his memoir quoted above (p. 384)!, has made the same observation; but the species enumerated by him, fourteen in number, are, with one exception, freshwater forms, the geographical distribution of which must have been brought about at periods and in ways different from those of the diffusion of marine species. Knowing now that at least 30 per cent. of the marine fish are found on both sides of ' See also ‘ Record, Zool. Literat.’ ii. p. 177. 398 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. Central America'!, we cannot account for this fact by resorting to such occasional means of dispersal as the accidental transmission of spawn from one shore to the other by birds or water-spouts, or even the close proximity of the sources of rivers flowing in opposite directions. If we do not adopt the view that’ species were created at the spot where we find them now, similar creations being produced under similar physical conditions, we have but one way of explaining the partial similarity of these marine fish-faunas, namely, by assuming that the Isthmus did not form a continuous barrier between the two oceans at a former period, but that one or more open channels existed. I am not aware that geology has, up to this time, furnished us with proof positive that this is really the fact; but considering the-volcanic nature of Central America, and the absence of all fossiliferous strata, it does not appear too bold an hypothesis to assume that North and South America were formerly connected by a chain of islands similar to that of the Antilles, and that subsequently an elevation (as in other parts of the globe) took place, resulting in the final continuity of dry land: the long-continued activity of the numerous voleanoes may have been another, though secondary cause in filling up the channels on the Pacific side. If such a bodily elevation of Central America has taken place, it is easy to show where some of the broadest channels existed, namely, where we find the greatest depressions running from one ocean to the other. The northern- most of these depressions exists between Tehuantepec and the river Coatzalco; the second is indicated between Puerto Cabello and the Gulf of Fonseca; the third by the Lake of Nicaragua (the remnant and deepest part of a very broad channel); a fourth between Chagres and Panama. (See map, Pl. LXIII., where these supposed former depressions are coloured green.) As far as I have been able to ascertain, the greatest elevation of the first of these lines of depression would be 1500, of the fourth 287 feet only*. If we presume that only one of the channels was open at a period when the present marine fauna was already in existence, it will fully explain the existence of identical species on both sides of the isthmus, especially if the difference of the tides was as great as it is now’, causing strong currents from one ocean to the other. Such an instance of a disconnexion of a marine fauna by elevation of land as I am inclined to assume in the case of Central America does not stand quite alone. We owe to the researches of Prof. 8. Lovén and Dr. Malmgren‘ the knowledge of the fact that marine animals (Crustacea, Annelids, and Fishes) inhabiting the glacial ocean are found in the great freshwater lakes of Sweden and in the Bothnian Gulf, and that this is to be explained only by the former continuity of the Baltic with the Glacial Ocean. During the second half of the glacial period the greater part of Finland and of the ' Mr. Darwin (‘ Origin of Species,’ 3rd edit. p- 378) was not acquainted with this fact, which by no means mili- tates against his argument, but merely modifies it. 2 M. Wagner, J. ¢. p. 87. 3 At Chagres the mean elevation is 1:16 foot, while at Panama the highest flow is 22 feet. (Seemann, Voy. of HLM. ‘ Herald, i. p. 236.) * TLovén, Skand. Naturforsk.-Sillskap. forst. offentl. mote d. 9 Juli 1863; Stockholm, 1864, Malmgren, ‘ Kritisk Ofversigt af Finlands Fiskfauna,’ sce ‘ Zool. Record,’ i. pp. 186-138. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA, 399 middle of Sweden was submerged, and the Baltic was a great gulf of the Glacial Ocean, and not connected with the German Ocean. By the gradual elevation of the Scandi- navian continent, the Baltic became disconnected from the Glacial Ocean, and the great lakes separated from the Baltic. The Isthmus of Suez appears to have been a much more permanent barrier between the faunas of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. R. A. Philippi has drawn up a list of species of shells common to both faunas; but it was founded on a collection made by Ehrenberg, in which the shells from both seas had been mixed'; and P. Fischer’ has lately shown that the two faunas are quite distinct. As regards the fishes, I have men- tioned (on former occasions) a few occurring in both seas (Sargus noct, Sarqus rondeletit) ; but the number is so small that one might be tempted to account for it by the tempo- rary existence of an artificial communication between the two seas. Looking at the results of the separation of the Baltic from the Glacial Ocean on the one hand, and of that of the Pacific from the Atlantic on the other, we find them very different. As soon as the continuity of the Baltic with the Glacial Ocean was inter- rupted, the amount of fresh water carried into the former by rivers exceeded the quantity lost by evaporation of its surface, and the salt water gradually changed into brackish, and in the northern parts into fresh water. By far the greater part of the animals became extinct ; but afew survived’, however, in spite of the greatly altered physical con- ditions, without altering their specific characters, still agreeing with the typical forms in every point, except in size, remaining smaller, leaner, almost starved. The same thing might happen if by a rising of the chain of the West-Indian islands the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea were at a future time converted into inland seas with narrow out- lets into the open ocean. The separation of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was, of course, not accompanied by a change of the water ; and any difference that existed in the physical conditions of both seas, as, for instance, the formation of corals on the Atlantic side, and their total absence on the Pacific, existed already before the communication between the oceans was closed ; so that the life of species was not in any way affected by the discontinuance of this communication. Let us for argument’s sake assume that the part of the isthmus between the Lake of Nicaragua and Panama was once an island, a@ pew prés of the form of Cuba, inhabited, like Cuba, on its northern and southern coasts by a certain species of fish. The only effect of a gradual rise of the land on the life of this species would be to force it to retreat further and further from the original coast, and to accommodate itself to the new one—an effect to which, if felt at all, the individuals on the northern and southern coasts would be equally exposed. Thus there is in this case no apparent external cause for an alteration of the species; and, indeed, the specimens examined by me from opposite coasts of the isthmus are absolutely identical, and there is not the slightest indication that one of them has been modified or degenerated into a climatic or local variety. I trust that 1 Martens, in ‘ Zoolog. Record,’ ii. p. 237. * Journ. Conchyl. xiii, 1865, pp. 241-248, 3 Seyen or eight species of the northern part of the Baltic are believed to be of Arctic origin. 400 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. geology will furnish us with the proof of the former partial submergence of a part of Central America, as it has done with respect to the northern part of Scandinavia. We should then be able to speak with more confidence of the permanence, or rather endu- rance, of the characters of a specific type, and arrive at a somewhat more definite idea of the age of species which must have existed before those geological changes were completed’. Sir CuarLes Lye. has directed my attention to collateral evidence from other classes of the animal kingdom, by which the partial identity of the faunas of the two coasts is shown, although not in an equally conclusive manner. The majority of malacologists appear to have presumed @ priori their distinctness, and consequently described Pacific shells generally as distinct from Atlantic species. However, Dr. M6rcu, in a paper in which he describes or enumerates about 360 Panama species, makes the following remarks (Pfeiff. Malakozool. Blatt. 1859, p. 107) :— «The tropical [molluscan] faunze may be classed in two principal divisions, the Indian and the Atlantic. To the latter belong, 1, the Guinean (Senegalian); 2, the Antillian ; and 8, the Panaman, which, although belonging to the Pacific, appears to be most analogous to the Guinean. A great number of species, especially of Bivalves, have been regarded as identical with those from the eastern (Brazilian) shore. I believe I can prove that they are different. Certain irregular mollusks cannot be separated diagnostically ; but I can recognize them by their general habit. It is at all events a fact that no species stamped with definite characters (wohlausgeprigt) is identical on both sides of the isthmus. The Panama species may be divided into:—l, those analogous to West-Indian ; 2, those analogous to species from Guinea and Senegal ; 3, those very remotely analogous to East-Indian species.” T may on this occasion recur to a remark made by me in Proc. Zool. Soc. 1858, p. 381, with regard to the sea-snakes observed in the Bay of Panama by M. Sallé, Capt. Dow, and Mr. Salvin. There is now not the least doubt that the snakes seen were Pelamys bicolor, and that they are, moreover, very common there. I find that Dr. Seemann (Voy. ‘ Herald,’ i. p. 265) already mentions them. But I am much inelined to think that this most common Indian species has migrated eastwards, and that its arriyal on the West-American coast is of yery recent date. Dampier and the other bucaniers who have left us records of their adventures, and who passed weeks and months in the Bay of Panama, could not have failed to observe them, and to mention them in their notes, just as they did on other occasions. It is also probable that these snakes would have spread into the Atlantic Ocean, had they been so numerous on the Pacific side at the time when a communication existed between the two oceans. Whilst this paper was passing through the press, I found two notices of the existence of water-snakes on the western coasts of South America, in seas considerably more southwards than the Bay of Panama. The notes are in Capt. Sharp’s Voyage in ‘* The History of the Bucaniers of America.” London, 1699, 8yo, yol. ii. p. 50; “As we sailed” [near Cape St. Francisco, which is nearly under the equator] “we saw multitudes of Grampusses every day; as also Water-snakes of divers colours.’ And p. 72, when sailing in lat. 19°S., the author mentions “ A huge shoal of fish, two or three Water-snakes, and several Seals.” I find in another part of the same work a note which I believe to be the first description of Vapirus bairdi. The part has a separate title-page, “A Journal of a Voyage made into the South Sea by the Bucaniers or Freebooters of America from the year 1684 to 1689. Written by the Sieur Raveneau de Lussan.” Lond. 1698, 8yo. The Indian name of the Tapir is given as Manipourye, page 16, DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 401 These remarks appear to me to convey very strong testimony in accordance with my own observation on the ichthyological fauna, inasmuch as the author refers the Panama Mollusks generally to the Atlantic fauna. He, indeed, denies the perfect identity of the species, admitting merely an ‘“‘ analogy” between them; but then it is a question whether malacologists do not go too far in making specific distinctions, when they are not even able to express those distinctions “diagnostically,” recognizing the forms merely ‘“‘ by their general habit.” Shells are, after all, that portion of a mollusk the formation and development of which is most influenced by the peculiarities (physical and chemical) of the surrounding medium and locality; and only too many specific forms have been distinguished on account of slight differences in the sculpture and shape of the shells, the importance of which disappears on comparing a large series of examples. However, as I am not prepared to form an opinion with regard to the shells of Central America from my own examination, I am bound to receive the testimony of so celebrated a malacologist as Dr. Mérch; and should his observations prove to be fully correct, they will give an additional interest to this fauna, as proving that the shells of Mollusks suffer change under circumstances in which the specific characters of fishes remain unaltered. With regard to fossil shells, Mr. J. C. Moorr, who has examined several. collections from tertiary beds in San Domingo, has made the observation that ‘‘ many bear a strong resemblance to shells now livmg in the Indian Seas and the Pacific, and that one or two appear to be identical” (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. 1853, p. 131), and “ that a channel or sound may have existed in the equatorial parts during some portion of the tertiary period, by which some few of the tropical shells may have migrated from the one ocean to the other” (ibid. 1850, p. 43). Of the other marine animals, the Cora/s have been made the object of elaborate researches, the various authors arriving at somewhat different conclusions. First, Mr. Duncan, in a paper “On the Fossil Corals of the West-Indian Islands” (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. xix. 1865, p. 455), has shown that “in all the calcareous formations which are coralliferous, and are considerably elevated above the level of the Caribbean Sea [being probably of miocene age], there is a very limited series of Corals with generic relation to those now existing and characteristic of the West-Indian Coral Fauna, but a predominance of forms resembling those of the present Coral-seas of the Pacific, South Sea, and the Indian Ocean.” This identity of the Corals proves an identical condition of the physical circumstances, and evidently a wide continuity of the West-Indian and Western seas. On the other hand, Prof. Verrit, when speaking of the living Polyp-faune of the Atlantic and Pacific sides of Central America (Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. x. 1866, p- 323 et seq.), states that their differences of character are very remarkable; that at Panama none of the reef-building corals of Aspinwall, Florida, or the West Indies occur, nor even any of the genera of the families to which they belong, with the VOL, VI.—PART VII. 3K 402 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. exception of a small Porites and Stephanocora; that these and other differences do not favour the theory entertained by some geologists, viz. that there has been a communi- cation between the two oceans at this point, and that the Gulf-stream flowed across the isthmus into the Pacific, within comparatively recent geological times. It is not within the scope of this paper further to discuss the point on which Messrs. Duncan and Verrill are at variance, as we cannot assume that the present fish-fauna existed at so early a period. From the observations made on the fishes and shells we are obliged to conclude that down to a very recent period a connexion between the two seas has been kept open by channels and straits wide enough to allow of the passage of these animals. Why corals, or at least a part of them, should not have been dis- persed by their floating germs in a similar manner, is a circumstance which we cannot explain. The occurrence of identical species of freshwater fishes in rivers running to the two opposite oceans is a matter of much less difficulty, and, besides, has been very generally observed in various parts of the globe. ‘The same agencies which in other countries have effected a wider dispersion of one species than of another must have been at work here also. Prof. M. Wagner has, in his Memoir quoted above, so fully treated of this part of our subject, with particular reference to the hydrographical peculiarities of the isthmus, that we need not dwell further on it. § 7. Definition of the Characteristics of the Fish-fauna of Central America. In defining the zoological characters of Central America, expressed in its fish-fauna, I confine myself to the freshwater fishes proper. Here the nearctic types become extinct, and are represented by five generic types, four of which, although with numerous species in the north, have but a single one here—Lepidosteus, Amiurus, Sclerognathus, and Haplochilus. Fundulus, extending a little further southwards (with one species in Western Ecuador), is represented by four species in Guatemala. Not one of these species is identical with a North-American. Much greater is the affinity with neotropical types; and their representatives are much more numerous: there is one species of Acara, one of Macrodon, seven of Tetragono- pterus, one of Anacyrtus, twelve of Pimelodus, one of Plecostomus, two of Chetostomus, two of Loricaria, one of Anableps, one of Carapus, the latter being identical with a species from Guiana. Types in common with the West-Indian Islands are—Agono- stoma with three species (one of which is said to be identical with a Jamaican species), Girardinus and Gambusia with one, the two latter genera being also represented in the Southern States of North America. The Siluroid genus Arius, which extends over the tropics generally, is represented by nine species. Finally, the following genera are peculiar to Central America, or at least have attained there to the greatest development :—Heros and the allied Neetroplus and Petenia with thirty-four species, Mlurichthys with two, Chalcinopsis with three, Characodon with one, DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 403 Xiphophorus with one, Mollienesia with one, Pecilia with eight, and Belonesox with one species. The affinity of this freshwater fauna with that of Mexico, will be found to be greater than with that of any other country (I might mention about ten species common to Guatemala and Mexico); but until we are better acquainted with the habitats of species described as Mexican, a more detailed comparison of the two countries would be of but little advantage. The freshwater fish-fauna of Central America may be shortly thus characterized :—A part of the Chromides (Heros, &c.) and the Cyprinodontes generally have attained to their greatest development ; neotropical types eatending northwards prevail over nearctic extending southwards, the latter being represented by a few extreme branches. § 8. An Attempt to Subdivide this Fauna into Provinces. We may subdivide this part of the freshwater fauna into the following provinces :— A. The fresh waters north of the Lakes of Manaqua and Nigaragqua, emptying into the Pacific.—To this province belong the fishes collected at Chiapam [Ch.], Huamuchal [H. ]}, San José [J.], in the Rio Guacalate (Duefias) [G.], San Salvador [S.]}, and Libertad [L.]; also the fishes from the Lakes of Amatitlan [Am.] and Atitlan [At.] may be referred to the same province, [The species printed in italics in the following lists are found also in one or more other provinces, and in Atlantic rivers. | Heros macracanthus . ... . . Ch. H. — = a == — friomacniatus , .,.-_....Ch. H. — — = — = BIOTOMNGIAIS: 68 ey Oe yy ak — — _ — Am. At. TATRA S TTT a oA re WS Tos ec = = Agonostoma microps . . . .- ..—= — _ G. — — — Arius guatemalensis. . . . . . . Ch. — — — ——wiplAbyPOROM gs gales e+ e062 0s — — J CAIUIENGENS: eget wy eee 7s ey Se H. — — Pimelodus guatemalensis . . . . . — Be _- — — = — Anacyrtus guatemalensis . . . . . — H. —_ —_— — = = Tetragonopt. microphthalmus. . . . — — — _ — An, — Prretliteeembsres 22 hela cele Tey beri — _ — — An — Fundulus guatemalensis . . . . « — — — G: — An, — PECL GVMIT om o goa pli = == — — — — — At. PUNCLALIs Meee ese | Ch — — = — = Anablepsidoviieee ke eee (Ch — — = Pecilia mexicana. . . . . 5 . . Ch. H. —- G. — An. — LRerMalisie HIS RORO . =S — — -- HOVER ou, oN Uy oe SS Se Sean Girardinus pleurospilus. . . . . . — — = G. = 2s —_ Clupeatiiibertatises 8, es — o- -- L. — — Lepidosteus tropicus. . . »+ .- 2. . — H. — — —_— — — 404 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. B. The fresh waters north of the Lakes of Managua and Nicaragua, emptying into the Atlantic.—To this province belong the fishes collected in the Rio Usumacinta [U.] (and in its tributaries Rio de Santa Isabel, Rio Chisoy, and Rio San Geronimo), in the Rio Motagua [M.], and in the Rio Cahabon (Yzabal) [Y.]. DleotrisG@Oruita prix aoe be oo) se a M. ve PAG ONOSLONLG, NUSUIUNU RR tere we ese, ome M 1UFOVORODS vahog me nl qa igebe (ype Gey ot Soy A SS M — SPULTUNMM Ret ces a nme Nhe, Neer era? Meer M Y SULCUS YE: Cee OR . yo NCCRCy lene Ra oe M. VG M = M M == mglapnensisn<@e, Vlost WP nls has oo eS ————Micropithalmus sas Gee se ee keen te ee Obloneusia ec eaten wee?) aha ee a angulifer . salvini . irregularis godmanni . Y,, WAGE ASSURIUS He. wis lycee io Mcieer. 2 oo (ue Rigast | & petal eames — G3 melanopus == AMMIUTMSVMeNICiOUaHe. ay os 6 4 ee ees _ “= Rimelodusjzodmanniyane ae a os wn at 5) 2. oo ga Us M. - IOLA TCUBISHey fo. Bee een Pic ais eres) ae) os) Seep ree M. — Nal vinitOy pense eek ee hehe) ayant Memney Comes _— — POlycanlns ia Spe: Me ne erm at Hows cai amo Ue = Tetragonopterus panumensis. .:. . . «-s+. 2 +») — —_— DPTCVIMANUSEE KE TS ae oS ee ho eR — Chalcmopsisidenter= <= 6) ST a cece eye Us M. Bundolasilabialisssmee 2 eemec) . 8 Tee lox cee ice omy cin Oe — BELONeESOX-DELIZANUSY ly rene Pee, oy WA Plat giv ca sen Honduras, Belize. Receiliarchiscyensis sem ste os) Pen eee nny se ome — — Xa pop uerus shel lenis messes meme ron ire oe eee -ene ee ts — _— Scleropnathusmenidionalis®.. <%= G¢)-+ -.. - .e UE — Carapusfastiatismes sn rime: ob - Moon™ Specie teal ies M. —_— C. Lake Peten.—tThe fish-fauna of this limited district is so peculiarly developed, that we cannot hesitate to describe it as a separate province. Heros margaritifer, Petenia splendida. melanurus. Pimelodus petenensis. urophthalmus. Tetragonopterus petenensis. affinis. Belonesor (in common with province —— friedrichsthalii. B). salvini (in common with pro- Peecilia petenensis. vinee B). Mollienesia petenensis. intermedius. Chietoéssus petenensis. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA, 405 D. Lake of Managua.—Although the number of species known from this lake is small, the forms are quite peculiar; we find here those species of Heros which are distinguished by the extraordinary development of the lips, or by incisor-like teeth, which render the separation into a distinct genus necessary. The development of these Chromides is the more remarkable, as this lake occupies a space which is supposed to have been a portion of a marine channel. Heros erythrzeus. Heros lobochilus. managuensis. | multispinis. labiatus. Neetroplus nematopus. KE. Lake of Nicaraqua.—Also the fishes of this lake are, with two exceptions, peculiar ; like Lake Managua, it appears to have been part of a marine channel. Eleotris longiceps. Heros labiatus (Lake of Managua). Heros longimanus. Pimelodus nicaraguensis. citrinellus, Gambusia nicaraguensis. - dovii. | Pecilia dovii (in common with Lake nicaraguensis. Amatitlan). F. The fresh waters south of the Lakes of Managua and Nicaragua to the Isthmus of Darien.—We are obliged, at present, to unite into one province the fish-fauna of Costa — Rica, Veragua, Panama, and Darien, as our knowledge of the fishes of Costa Rica and also of Veragua is too incomplete to admit of a comparison with those of the more southern part of the isthmus. This is the more to be regretted, as a former separation of these two parts and of their faunas is, as we have explained above, a matter of great probability. The fishes of the Chagres River show a decidedly South-American cha- racter. The identity of the freshwater fish-faunas of the Pacific and Atlantic sides is here easily explained by the narrowness of the isthmus. Mleotrisapictay) eifeere «15,7 ). — — R. Bayano. Agonostoma nasutum . . . . . — Panama. — MRONULCOMLE a Sk ss be) Be eee — Panama. — Herosparma. . ... . . . Chagres. — — BROS Ce Swaine. oe as Western Veragua. Acara ceruleomaculata . . . . Chagres. — — Arius multiradiatus . 2... a oa R. Bayano. lurichthys dorsalis . . . . . — Panama. — PANAMENSIS se stesyis) = | — Panama. — Pimelodus wagneri. . . . .. — Panama. — modestus . . . . . . « Chagres. — -- Plecostomus, sp. . . . . . = Chagres. -- — Chzetostomus aspidolepis. . . . — Veragua. — Chetostomus ?cirrhosus . . . . Chagyres. = = Borcanaiimi ts? <9 s . = . “Onasres, — — 406 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. Loricaria uracantha . . . . . Chagres. — — Macrodon microlepis . . . . . Chagres. — — Tetragonopterus panamensis . . . — Panama. _ ZEDCUS vetateie ai gir ec aro eee a — Panama. a Chalcinopsis striatulus . . . . — * Panama. — chasrensisizgey ere Charres. — — Anacyrtus guatemalensis . . . . Chagres. — _— Haplochilusidoyi) i 2%. . ~ .. — Costa Rica. — Pecihatclonzatanee =. — Panama. Clic wears |. Chagres. — -- § 9. Descriptive Part. In the following descriptive part of this Memoir I have admitted full descriptions of those species only which are not described elsewhere ; secondly, descriptive diagnoses of those of which figures are given; and, finally, notes on some known species, if they appeared to contribute to their better knowledge. For the descriptions of all the other species (the insertion of which would be a repetition of matter already published), I must refer the student to my general work on Fishes. 1, CENTROPOMUS APPENDICULATUS, Poey, Mem, Cub. i. p. 119. D. 8|5 A.2. L. lat. 70-72. Nine longitudinal series of scales between the origin of the second dorsal fin and the lateral line. The height of the body is contained four times in the total length (with- out caudal), the length of the head twice and two-thirds. Preorbital indistinctly serrated; suboperculum produced into a short flap, which extends to or nearly to the vertical from the origin of the dorsal fin, The intermaxillary extends to below the middle of the orbit. Dorsal spines of moderate strength; the third is the longest, and about half as long as the head. The second anal spine is generally longer than the third ; but sometimes they are equal in length, and even shorter than the third dorsal spine. The length of the ventral fin is more than one-half of its distance from the anal. Air-bladder with a pair of appendages anteriorly. Silvery; dorsal fins blackish; lateral line black. We kave received this species (which was originally described from Cuban examples) from Surinam and Mexico. Mr. Salvin and Capt. Dow obtained a specimen from the Chagres River, 10 inches long. : 2. CENTROPOMUS MEDIUS. Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 144. D.8|q° Aly. L, lats57, Eight longitudinal series of scales between the origin of the second dorsal fin and the lateral line. ‘The height of the body is contained thrice and three-fourths in the total DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 407 length (without caudal), the length of the head twice and four-fifths, Preorbital finely serrated ; suboperculum produced into a flap, which does not extend to the vertical from the origin of the dorsal fin. The intermaxillary extends somewhat beyond the anterior margin of the orbit. Dorsal spines strong; the third is longer than the fourth, and half as long as the head. The second anal spine long, but a little shorter than the third, and equal in length to the distance between the extremity of the upper jaw and the preopercular margin. The length of the ventral fin is much more than one-half of its distance from the anal fin. Lateral line black. Two specimens, 13 inches long, from Chiapam. 3. CENTROPOMUS NIGRESCENS. Ginth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 144. D, 8|7, A. >. .'L. Jat. 70 Ten longitudinal series of scales between the origin of the second dorsal fin and the lateral line. The height of the body is contained four times and a half in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head twice and four-fifths. Preorbital not serrated; suboperculum produced into a short flap, which does not extend to the vertical from the origin of the dorsal fin. The intermaxillary extends a little beyond the middle of the orbit. Dorsal spines rather feeble; the third and fourth are equal in length, two-fifths of the length of the head. The second and third anal spines also are equal in length, and not longer than the dorsal spines mentioned. The length of the ventral fin is scarcely more than one-half of the distance of its base from the anal. Air-bladder without appendages anteriorly. Silvery; upper parts and fins blackish; lateral line black. One specimen, 14 inches long, from Chiapam. This species is allied to C. appendiculatus (Poey), but differs externally in its con- siderably more feeble and shorter fin-spines. 4, CENTROPOMUS PARALLELUS. Poey, Mem. Cuba, ii. p. 120. D. 8|7 A.3. L, lat. 85-90. Twelve longitudinal series of scales between the origin of the second dorsal fin and the lateral line. The height of the body is contained thrice and three-fourths in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head twice and a half. Preorbital distinctly serrated ; suboperculum produced into a flap, which extends to the vertical from the origin of the dorsal fin. The intermaxillary extends a little beyond the middle of the orbit. Dorsal spines rather feeble ; the third is the longest, half as long as the head. The second anal spine is exceedingly strong, longer than the third and the third dorsal spine. The length of the ventral fin is considerably more than one-half of 408 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. the distance of its base from the anal. Air-bladder without appendages anteriorly. Silvery; upper parts and fins greenish ; lateral line not black. This species occurs in Cuba; we have received it from San Domingo, Jamaica, and Bahia. Messrs. Dow and Salvin collected a specimen in the Chagres River. 5. CENTROPOMUS ARMATUS. Gill, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1863, p. 163. D. 8]. A.2._L. lat..51. L. transv. 7/14. Six longitudinal series of scales between the origin of the second dorsal fin and the lateral line. The height of the body is contained from thrice and two-fifths to thrice and three-fourths in the total length (without caudal); the length of the head twice and a half. Preeorbital serrated in its hinder half; suboperculum produced into a long flap, which extends beyond the vertical from the origin of the dorsal fin. The inter- maxillary extends scarcely to below the middle of the orbit. Dorsal spines of moderate strength ; the third is the longest, and half as long as the head. The second anal spine is exceedingly strong, much stronger than the third, and longer than the third dorsal spine. The length of the ventral fin is scarcely more than one-half of the distance of its base from the anal. Silvery; dorsal fins, a blotch on the opercle, and the membrane between the anal spines blackish. Lateral line not black. Several specimens, 12 inches long, were collected by Mr. Salvin at Chiapam. 6. CENTROPOMUS ENSIFERUS. Poey, Mem. Cub. ii. p. 122, pl. 12. fig. 1. D. 8| 5 Ag L. lat. 68. Seven longitudinal series of scales between the origin of the second dorsal fin and the lateral line. ‘The height of the body is one-fourth of the total length (without caudal), the length of the head two-fifths. Praorbital coarsely serrated ; suboperculum pro- duced into a flap, which extends to the vertical from the origin of the dorsal fin. The intermaxillary extends scarcely to below the middle of the orbit. Dorsal spines of moderate strength; the third and fourth are the longest, and two-fifths as long as the head. The second anal spine is exceedingly strong, much stronger than the third, and much longer than the dorsal spines. The length of the ventral fin is somewhat more than one-half of the distance of its base from the anal. Silvery; dorsal fin, a blotch on the opercle, and the membrane between the anal spines blackish. Lateral line not black. This species occurs in Cuba; we have received it from Jamaica and from the Guyanas. Mr. Godman collected a specimen, 12 inches long, at Belize. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 409 7. CENTROPRISTIS MACROPOMA. (PI. LXV. fig. 1.) Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 145. D. = A: 3 L. lat. 52. L. transy. 6/16. Closely allied to C. radialis, Q. & G.; but whilst that species has a notch above the spiniferous angle, the present has its preopercular margin not interrupted, the long spines of the angle gradually passing into the finer serrature. There are six series of scales between the eye and the angle of the preoperculum. The maxillary extends nearly to the vertical from the posterior margin of the orbit. Dorsal fin with a notch, the ninth spine being considerably shorter than the tenth. A series of rather small brownish spots above and below the lateral line. Three specimens, 43 inches long, were collected by Messrs. Dow and Salvin on the Pacific coast of Panama. 8. SERRANUS CREOLUS, C. & V. I have examined specimens from the Atlantic coasts only; but Mr. Gill has found it in a collection of fishes from Lower California, the specimens being undistinguishable from those of the West Indies and South America (Proc. Ac. Nat. Se. Philad. 1862, p: 249). 12. SERRANUS SELLICAUDA. Epinephelus sellicauda, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Se. Philad. 1862, p- 250. Do AS? “1. Yat. 100: Caudal fin with the posterior margin convex. ‘The height of the body is rather more than three-fourths of the length of the head, and one-fourth of the total (caudal included). The diameter of the eye is one-fourth of the length of the head. Praoper- culum finely serrated behind, with some coarser teeth at the angle, lower limb entire ; sub- and interoperculum entire. Ventrals three-fourths of the length of pectorals, and reaching two-thirds of the distance between their insertion and the commencement of the anal. Brownish, with olive-coloured spots of larger and smaller size on the body and opercles. All the fins with a narrow white margin. A square black blotch across the back of the tail. Description Body not very elevated; its greatest height is below the third spine of the dorsal fin, rather more than three-fourths of the length of the head, and one-fourth of the total. The distance between the end of the dorsal and the commencement of the caudal is nearly one-sixth of the length of the base of the dorsal, is contained once and two-thirds in the base of the anal, is one-fourth of the distance between the dorsal fin and the snout, and equals the least depth of the tail. ‘The distance between the eyes is one-half of the diameter of the eye, and covered with very minute scales, which are found also on the preorbital around the nostrils. ‘The length of the snout is two- thirds of the diameter of the eye. The maxillary bone reaches the vertical from the posterior margin of the eye. ‘The mandibulary is one-half of the length of the VOL. VI.—PART VII. 31 410 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. head. ‘The lips are not very thick. Posterior limb of preoperculum very convex, minutely serrated, with three coarser teeth at the angle; lower limb toothless. Sub- and interoperculum entire. Operculum terminating in three not very strong teeth, the upper of which is somewhat more remote than the others, the middle one being the more prominent. Suprascapular concealed by the scales. The membrane of the dorsal fin is scaly for about half the height between the spines and rays; the spinous portion scarcely lower but longer than the soft, with its upper margin convex, and a small membranaceous appendage behind the tip of each spine. The first spine is the shortest, rather more than half the length of the second, which is one-fifth shorter than the third; from the third to the seventh the spines are equal, becoming slightly shorter at the eighth; the last two spines are of equal length. ‘The rays increase slightly from the first to the sixth, after which the upper margin is straight, becoming again rounded posteriorly. ‘The first ray is one-fifth longer than the preceding spine. Caudal with posterior margin convex. ‘The commencement of the anal is on a line with that of the soft dorsal, and it ends before the termination of the dorsal; the first spine is short, not half the length of the second, which is long and strong, longer than any of the dorsal spines; the third is slenderer, and equal to the third dorsal spine: the margin of the soft part of the fin is nearly straight, sharply rounded off posteriorly. The pectoral consists of eighteen rays, is rounded, and longer than the ventral, and covered with very minute scales to one-third of the length. The ventrals reach the vent; the second ray is the longest, the spine being equal to the second of the dorsal. Canine teeth of moderate size, those of the lower jaw rather small. Coloration as described above. A single specimen, 4 inches long, was sent by Capt. Dow from the Pacific coast of Panama. ‘The specimen in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution is from the coast of Lower California; a statement of its size, which would have been of some importance, is omitted. 13. SERRANUS ANALOGUS. Epinephelus analogus, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1863, p. 163. D. A.3 LL. lat.ca. 100. Adult.—The height is contained thrice in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head twice and two-thirds. The preoperculum is finely serrated behind, and towards the angle armed with three or four strong teeth. The diameter of the eye equals a sixth of the head’s length, and equals the interorbital space as well as the snout behind the intermaxillaries. The third, fourth, and fifth spines are equal, and contained twice and two-thirds in the length of the head; the tenth thrice and a half. The caudal fin enters five times and a half in the length, the height of the dorsal twice and three-fourths in the head. The anal is deeper; its third spine is longest, and enters four times and three-fourths in the head’s length; the pectoral is at least half as long as the head; the ventral shorter, but coterminal with it. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 411 The colour is purplish grey, with numerous dark spots about as large as the pupil; those of the pectoral and caudal fins are smaller and more crowded, of the dorsal, anal, and ventral more like those of the body. The specimens are from 11 to 15 inches long, and were found by Capt. Dow at Panama. We have received also a sma//er example, 5 inches long, from the same gentleman. It differs from those described above in being provided with five cross bands, paler in colour than the spots, which are one-third the size of the eye. The dorsal fin is scarcely notched, the tenth spine being but little shorter than the third or fourth, the length of which is contained twice and two-thirds in that of the head. The example being young, its eye is comparatively larger. 14, PLecrropoMa arruM. (PI. LXVIL. fig. 3.) Epinephelus afer, Bloch, Tat. 327 (fide Peters, Monatsber. Ak. Wiss. Berlin, 1865, p. 105). Alphestes afer, Bl. Schn. p. 236. Plectropoma chloropterum, Cuy. & Val. ii. p. 398. Poey, Mem. Cub. i. p. 73, lam. 9. fig. 3. monacanthus, Mull. & Trosch. in Schomb. Hist. Barb. p. 605. Giinth. Fish. i. p. 164. multiguttatum, Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1866, p. 600. Dy | ANS Il lat! 76. Caudal rounded. ‘The height of the body is equal to the length of the head, and contained twice and three-fourths in the total (without caudal). The diameter of the eye is one-fifth of the length of the head, and a little less than that of the snout. Preoperculum with a strong spinous tooth below the angle, pointing forwards. Olive- brown, head and body with numerous spots. Description —Body somewhat elevated ; its greatest height is below the fourth spine of the dorsal, and equal to the length of the head, which is contained thrice and one- third in the total (the caudal included). The distance between the dorsal and the caudal is contained seven times and one-third in the length of the base of the dorsal fin, twice in that of the base of the anal, four times in the distance between the dorsal fin and the snout, and is considerably less than the least depth of the tail. The distance between the eyes is about two-thirds of the diameter of the eye, and covered with scales which extend forward beyond the nostrils on the preorbital, and in a narrow band on the upper maxillary. The length of the snout equals the diameter of the eye, which is one-fifth of the length of the head. The maxillary reaches a little beyond the level of the posterior margin of the eye. ‘The mandibulary is covered with minute scales, and is equal to one-half the length of the head. ‘The lips are thick and fleshy. The posterior limb of the preoperculum slants obliquely backwards, and is minutely serrated, the denticulations becoming coarser at the angle; and beneath on the lower limb at some distance from the other teeth there is a single strong tooth pointing downwards, and nearly concealed by the skin; sub- and interoperculum not serrated. Big) 2 412 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. ‘The operculum terminates in three, flat, triangular teeth, the upper of which is the more distant and somewhat more obtuse than the others, the middle one being the longest, but not very prominent, and the lower one the shortest and weakest. ‘The suprascapula is concealed by the scales. Base of dorsal fin covered with very small scales, a tapering band of scales runs up between each pair of the spines and rays to about half the height of the fin. Spinous portion rather lower but longer than the soft, its upper margin convex ; the membrane between each spine is deeply notched, and there is a small membranaceous appendage behind the top of each spine. The first spine is the shortest, half the size of the second; the second is five-sixths of the length of the third; the third, fourth, and fifth are the longest, and of nearly equal length ; the spines then become gradually shorter to the last one, which is scarcely longer than the preceding. ‘The soft portion exhibits an entirely rounded upper margin, the rays becoming longer from the first to the sixth or seventh, and shorter from the fourteenth to the last; the first ray is one-fourth longer than the preceding spine. Caudal with the posterior margin convex. Anal commencing a little behind the commencement of the soft dorsal, and terminating in advance of the end of the same; the first spine is not very strong, and short; the second long, thick, and strong; the third more slender and shorter, being but little longer than the second dorsal spine; the margin of the fin is rounded throughout, the third ray being the longest, and the subsequent ones becoming progressively shorter. The pectoral is composed of eighteen rays, rounded, one-fourth longer than the ventral, and covered with minute scales for about one-third of its length. The ventral reaches to the vertical from the origin of the eighth spine of the dorsal, but not to the vent; the spine is a little less than two-thirds the length of the first ray ; the first and second rays are the longest, the others diminishing gradually in length; the length of the spine is somewhat less than that of the second dorsal spine. Canine teeth small in both jaws. This species varies somewhat in coloration, as most of its congeners; the spots are numerous aud small, either of a uniform dark-brown colour, or of a light colour and mixed with large brown spots. Pectoral fins with narrow blackish cross bands. One example, 10 inches long, and three smaller ones have been collected by Capt. Dow on the Pacific coast of Panama. ‘The latter have the spots somewhat larger and less conspicuous than the adult. This species cccurs also in the West Indies and at the Falkland Islands. 15. RuyprTicUs DECORATUS. Rhypticus nigripinnis, Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1861, p. 53. Promicropterus decoratus, Gill, . c. 1863, p. 164. D. ge) Ac 16; The two dorsal spines are continuous with the soft portion. Body generally with more or less numerous round whitish spots, many of which have a brown centre. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 415 Messrs. Dow and Salvin have collected several examples, from 3 to 8 inches long, on the Pacific coast of Panama. The species described by Holbrook as &. maculatus, and said to have the dorsal spines separated from the soft portion, may eventually prove to be identical with the Pacific fish. 19. MESOPRION ARATUS. Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 145. D. ea «(AL L. lat. 45. L. transv. 43/12. The height of the body equals the length of the head, and is contained thrice and two-fifths, or thrice and one-fifth in the total (without caudal). The maxillary does not extend backwards to the vertical from the centre of the eye. Praoperculum finely serrated, with scarcely a trace of a posterior notch. Dorsal spines of moderate strength ; the third and fourth are the longest, two-fifths of the length of the head; the eleventh is scarcely longer than the tenth, which is rather more than half as long as the fourth. Caudal fin emarginate, two-thirds scaly; anal spines short, rather feeble, the third longer than the second, and equal in length to the last dorsal spine. Upper and lateral parts brownish-olive, each scale with a pearl-coloured spot, the spots forming together very distinct longitudinal stripes; no black lateral spot ; hind part of the root of the pectoral brown. Lower parts salmon-coloured. . We have six examples: two, 15 inches long, were collected by Mr. Salvin at Chiapam ; and four others were sent by Capt. Dow from the Pacific coast of Panama. 21. APoGON DoVH. Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1861, p. 371. D.6|j. A.2. LL. lat. 25. L. transv. 3/9. A roundish black spot on each side of the root of the caudal; the spinous dorsal colourless, transparent; uniform olive (in spirits). Head densely punctulated with brown. Only the hind margin of the posterior preopercular ridge is serrated. Dorsal fins nearly equal in height. The height of the body is one-third of the total length (without caudal); the leugth of the head two-fifths; eye large, its diameter being more than one-third of the length of the head. Palatine and vomerine teeth present. The upper jaw overlaps slightly the lower; maxillary extending backwards to below the posterior third of the orbit. Operculum with an upper flexible point, and with a lower stiff spine. The third dorsal spine is a little longer than the second, one-half the length of the head. Caudal fin slightly emarginate, with the angles rounded. Total length 26 lines. This species is so closely allied to A. inermis from the Mediterranean, that perhaps 414 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. it would be better not to separate it; the only difference which I can find is the form of the soft dorsal fin, which is considerably higher than the spinous in the Mediterranean species. 22. PRISTIPOMA MELANOPTERUM. Pristipoma melanopterum, Cuy. & Val. vy. 1830, p. 273. bilineatum, Cuv. & Val. v. 1830, p. 271, pl. 122. Hemulon melanopterum, Ranzani, Comm. Bonon. y. 1842, p. 343, tab. 30. Pristipoma melanopterum, Giinth. Fish. i. 1859, p. 287. Var. Genytremus interruptus, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Se. Philad. 1862, p. 256. Pristipoma melanopterum, Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, pp. 23 & 27. This species occurs on both sides of Central America, Capt. Dow having collected specimens at Panama and Colon. Mr. Gill has found it also in a collection of fishes from Lower California. He describes his Pacific specimen as a distinct species ; but the distinctive characters are, according to my views, not of specific value. He mentions it in the following terms :— “The species is so closely allied to dilineatus, that it might be even considered as a variety, but it appears to differ by the steel-blue colour of the back, and the discon- tinuance of the lateral band a short distance before the spot on the tail’; at its end the band is bounded below by the lateral line. In. other respects, the two species are so similar, that a detailed description would be only a repetition of that of bi/ineatus.” 23. PRISTIPOMA VIRGINICUM. We have examined specimens of this species from the West Indies, from the Atlantic coasts of Central America, and from Bahia. Mr. Gill has described an example from Panama under the denomination of Anisotremus teniatus, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. 1861, p. 107. Although six or seven is the normal number of longitudinal bands, it is some- times increased by a more or less complete division of one or several bands. It appears to be more natural to consider the golden colour the ground-colour than the blue, as after death it fades into the same colour as that of the space between the black vertical bands. In ai/ specimens, I have found the bluish bands edged with purplish. Mr. Gill, in describing his A. teniatus, has taken the blue colour as ornamental, whilst in his description of A. virginicus the character assigned to the colours is reversed, and the blue colour regarded as ground-colour. ‘There is no specific difference between these fishes. 24, PRISTIPOMA DOVIL. Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 23, pl. 3. fig. 1. D. 4. A.’ L, lat. 48. LL. transv, 8/15. The height of the body is one-half of the total length (without caudal); the length of the head one-third. Snout obtuse, not much longer than the eye; cleft of the 1 This is also the case in some Atlantic specimens. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 415 mouth small, the maxillary extending to the vertical from the anterior margin of the orbit. Lips thick; a pair of pores on the symphysis of the lower jaw, a central groove behind it. Snout naked, the remainder of the head being scaly. The width of the interorbital space is much less than that of the orbit. Dorsal and anal spines exceed- ingly strong; the third of the dorsal fin is the longest, and nearly two-thirds as long as tne head. ‘The second anal spine is much longer than the third, and a little shorter (but stronger) than the third of the dorsal fin. Each ray of the soft fins is accompanied by a series of minute scales, but only on the caudal fin are these scales dense enough to cover the rays. Caudal fin slightly emarginate. Silvery, with four black cross bands; the first runs from the occiput, through the eye, to behind the angle of the mouth, the second from before the dorsal fin to below the base of the pectoral, the third from the base of the sixth, seventh, and eighth dorsal spines to the vent; the fourth descends from the origin of the soft dorsal to that of the soft anal. Fins blackish. The cross bands appear to become fainter in old age. ‘lwo specimens, 85 and 9 inches long, in the collection from Panama. 25. PRISTIPOMA CHALCEUM. Giimth. Proc. Zool. Soe. 1864, p. 146. DG As. L. lat. 56. LL. transv. 11/19. The height of the body is contained twice and two-thirds in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head thrice and a third. The diameter of the eye is nearly equal to the width of the interorbital space, and two-thirds of the extent of the snout. The maxillary does not extend backwards to the vertical from the anterior margin of the orbit. Praoperculum minutely serrated behind, with the angle rounded, but not produced. ‘There is no notch between the spinous and soft portions of the dorsal fin, the hinder spines being only a little shorter than the anterior rays; dorsal spines of moderate strength, the fourth being the longest, not quite half as long as the head; anal spines short, the second being only a little longer than the third, two-sevenths of the length of the head. Caudal fin subtruncated, scarcely emarginate. Dorsal and anal perfectly scaleless. The pectoral fin extends to the vertical from the vent. Bronze-coloured, shining silvery, perfectly immaculate; vertical fins blackish, with an indistinct light band along the base. One specimen, 8 inches long, was discovered by Messrs. Dow and Salvin on the Pacific coast of Panama. 26. PRISTIPOMA HUMILE. Kner & Steindachner, Sitzgsber. Ak. Wiss. Miinch. 1863, p. 222; and Abhandl. bayer. Ak. Wiss. x. p. 3, tab. 1. fig. 1. Dig 0 Anz. L, lat. 56... L. tranay.. 5.65. The height of the body is contained thrice and two-thirds in the total length (without Cec. pyl. 3. 416 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. caudal), the length of the head thrice. The diameter of the eye equals the width of the interorbital space, is one-fifth of the length of the head, and two-thirds of the extent of the snout. Snout produced; cleft of the mouth wide; the maxillary extend- ing beyond the front margin of the eye. Praoperculum with the hind margin vertical and finely serrated. The spinous and soft portions of the dorsal fin are separated by a notch; dorsal spines moderately strong, the fourth being the longest, its length being contained twice and three-fourths in that of the head. Second anal spine exceedingly strong, more than half as long as the head. Caudal fin slightly emarginate ; pectorals terminating at some distance before the vent. Scales ctenoid. _Coloration uniform. This species is known from a single example (size not stated) from the Rio Bayano (Panama). 27. PRISTIPOMA MACRACANTHUM. (PI. LXIV. fig. 1.) Ginth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 146. D.11|5. A. 3/8. L. lat, 47. L. transy. 6/13. The height of the body equals the length of the head, and is one-third of the total (without caudal). The diameter of the eye equals the width of the interorbital space, and is two-thirds, or somewhat less than two-thirds, of the extent of the snout. Hind margin of the anterior nostril with a broad flap. Snout somewhat produced; the maxillary does not extend to below the anterior margin of the eye. Praoperculum with the hind margin rather concave, and with stronger teeth at the angle, which is rounded. ‘The spinous and soft portions of the dorsal fin are separated by a deep notch, the spine of the soft portion being much longer than the preceding, which is somewhat longer than the second. Dorsal and anal spines exceedingly strong; the fourth dorsal spine is the longest, its length being contained twice and a third in that of the head. The second anal spine much longer and stronger than the third, and even than the fourth dorsal spine. Candal fin truncated. ach soft ray of the vertical fins is accompanied by a series of minute scales. The pectoral fin extends to the vent. Scales smooth. Silvery, with several very indistinct dark cross bands on the back, which appear to be arranged as in P. leuciscus. Two specimens, 11 and 14 inches long, were collected by Mr. Salvin at Chiapam. 29. Pristipoma Leuciscus. (Pl. LXVI. fig. 3.) Gimth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 147. De i A, 3/f-8, -L. lat. dil; Wustransy. seh The height of the body is contained thrice or thrice and a third in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head thrice and a fourth. The diameter of the eye is equal to, or more than, the width of the interorbital space, but is less than the extent of the snout. The maxillary does not quite extend backwards to the vertical from the anterior margin of the orbit. Preeoperculum finely serrated behind, with the angle DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 417 rounded, and with the hind margin slightly concave. The spinous and soft portions of the dorsal fin are separated by a deep notch, the spine of the soft portion being nearly twice as long as the preceding. Dorsal spines long, of moderate strength: the third is the longest, and one-half, or more than one-half, as long as the head. Anal spines rather strong: the third is a little longer than the second, equal to the seventh dorsal spine, and more than one-third of the length of the head. Caudal fin emarginate. Each soft ray of the vertical fins is accompanied by a series of minute scales, The pectoral fin extends to the vertical from the origin of the anal in the younger example, but is shorter in adult ones. Scales smooth, bright silvery; young specimens with several very indistinct dark cross bands on the back, the first from the nape of the neck to the gill-opening, the second below the seventh dorsal spine, the third below the last dorsal spine ; old specimens with the marginal membrane of the opereulum black. One specimen, 74 inches long, was found by Mr. Salvin at San José. Three others, from 11 to 12 inches long, are from Chiapam ; and Capt. Dow found it also at Panama, where it does not appear to be rare. 30. Conopon Pacifici. (Pl. LXIV. fig. 3.) Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 147. D. 11|7,° A. 3S. Lelat. 47, L. transy. 7/13. Diagnosis.—The spinous teeth at the angle of the preoperculum are not much stronger than the others. The height of the body is contained twice and two-fifths in the total length (without caudal). One specimen, 12} inches long, was collected by Mr. Salvin at Chiapam. Description.—The body is compressed, and considerably elevated ; its greatest height, which is below the fifth dorsal spine, is contained twice and three-fourths in the total length. Upper profile rounded from the first dorsal spine to the nape, concave over the eyes, whence it descends abruptly over the snout. ‘The upper surface of the head is very broad, the space between the eyes being nearly twice the width of the orbit. ‘The snout is thick and obtuse; the lips thick and fleshy. Teeth in a villiform band in both jaws, with an outer series of conical teeth. Chin with a median groove and a pair of pores. Posterior limb of preoperculum straight, regularly and distinctly serrated, the teeth becoming gradually a little larger at the angle, and continued on the lower limb; the entire surface of the preoperculum is covered with scales, which are smaller than those of the operculum, and reach to the margin of the bone. ‘The operculum has a notch behind, between two obtuse and feeble points. Suprascapular margin indistinctly toothed or roughened. The origin of the dorsal is in the vertical from the root of the pectoral, and its termination is vertically opposite to that of the anal ; the base of the spinous portion is nearly twice as long as that of the soft. ‘The spines are strong, broader alternately on one side than on the other; the first is small, not quite one-half the length of the second, which is rather more than half that of the VOL. VI.—PART VII. 3M 418 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA, third; the third spine is three-fourths the length of the fourth; the fifth is the longest, its length being contained twice and two-thirds in the height of the body; the sixth and fourth spines are equal in height, and the subsequent spines decrease gradually in length; the twelfth, which must be considered part of the soft dorsal, is slightly longer than the preceding spine, and equal to the tenth. The soft portion has a rounded margin; the third or highest ray is not quite equal to the fifth spine, and is twice as long as the last. The spinous portion as well as the soft can be received into a scaly sheath. The caudal fin is very slightly emarginate, scaly to within a short distance from its tip, and one of its longest rays is nearly one-fifth of the total length. The distance between the caudal and anal fins is less than the base of the latter; the first anal spine is opposite to the third ray of the dorsal, it is strong, broader on the right side, and excavated posteriorly, and is one-half the length of the second, which is very long and strong, equal in length to the fifth dorsal spine, and broader on the left side ; the third anal spine is equal to the third of the dorsal, and little more than half the height of the first ray; the first and second rays are the longest, and the margin of the soft portion is vertical. The pectoral is moderately long, its length being contained four times and a half in the total. Root of ventral immediately behind that of pectoral; the spine is of moderate size and strength, a little more than half the length of the first ray, which is produced about one-eighth of an inch at its tip; the other rays decrease gradually in height. The scales are of moderate size, very finely crenated, with the margin convex. The lateral line is parallel with the curve of the back. Scales silvery, with purple reflexions ; membrane between the scales brown; fins blackish. 34. H#MULON BREVIROSTRUM. 8 A. — L. lat. 50. LL. transy. 5/14. This species is closely allied to H. chromis and H. canna, differing from both by its much shorter and more convex snout. The height of the body is contained twice and two-thirds in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head thrice and one-fourth. The snout is short, not much longer than the diameter of the eye, which is more than one- fourth of the length of the head. Cleft of the mouth rather wide, the maxillary extending beyond the vertical from the front margin of the eye. Hind margin of the preoperculum slightly emarginate, its angle with more con- spicuous denticulations. Dorsal fin notched, with strong spines; the fourth is the longest, half as long as the head. Caudal fin forked. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 419 The second anal spine is strong, and somewhat longer than the third, but not quite as long as the fourth of the dorsal fin. Scales above the pectoral fin not conspicuously larger than the others. More or less conspicuous oblique brown streaks run along the series of scales, and are broken up into series of spots in larger examples. A vertical black spot covered by the angle of the preoperculum. We possess four examples of this species: three were collected by Capt. Dow at Panama; and the fourth is from Puerto Cabello. The largest is 8 inches long. 35. H@MULON MARGARITIFERUM. (Pl. LXV. fig. 2.) Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 147. Dey. A. 3... lat. 55, . L. trans. 6/15. The height of the body is one-third of the total length (without caudal), the length of the head two-sevenths. The diameter of the eye is two-sevenths of the latter, and equal to the extent of the snout and to the width of the interorbital space, which is very convex. The maxillary extends beyond the vertical from the anterior margin of the eye. Preoperculum emarginate behind. Dorsal fin scarcely notched, with the soft portion very low; its spines are moderately strong, the fourth is the longest, not quite half as long as the head. Anal spines strong; the second is longer and stronger than the third, and equal to the eighth of the dorsal. The soft vertical fins enveloped in scales; caudal forked, with the upper lobe longest. The pectoral fin does not extend to the vent. Greenish olive above, each scale with a pearl-coloured centre; sides silvery ; a blackish spot above the axil. One specimen, 12 inches long, was obtained by Messrs. Dow and Salvin on the Pacific coast of Panama. 39. CuatTopon HuUMERALIS. (PI. LXV. fig. 3.) Giinth. Fish. ii. p. 19. I have given a full description of this species (.¢.). The Pacific coast of Central America appears to be its true home. Messrs. Salvin and Dow collected three speci- mens at Panama; and our other specimens, which we received from the Haslar Collec- tion, are probably from Guatemala, from which country Sir J. Richardson, as we know, obtained a collection of fishes. I have no doubt that the statement of this species extending to the Sandwich Islands is correct. The Panama examples differ from the typical specimens only in having an additional black cross band near the hind margin of the caudal fin. 41. PoMACANTHUS ZONIPECTUS. Pomacanthodes zonipectus, Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Se. Philad. 1862, p. 244. 11 3 1D} 93-24" A. 30° “The form much resembles that of Pomacanthus. ‘The greatest height equals three- 3M 2 420 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. fifths of the length. The head forms about a quarter, and the caudal fin about a sixth of the total length. . ... The dorsal is considerably produced at the sixth ray, which passes behind the rounded posterior margin. . . ._ Brownish, margined with light on each scale. A very dark brown band girdles the breast behind the pectoral and ventral fins.” . . . Obtained by Capt. Dow at San Salvador. 43. UPENEUS TeTRASPILUS. (Pl. LXVI. fig. 1.) Ginth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 148. DESO VAL ia dh. latesae ells itransv-22/6- The height of the body equals the length of the head, and is contained thrice and two-fifths in the total (without caudal); the width of the interorbital space is two- thirds of the length of the snout. Teeth in both jaws in two series, the outer series of the upper jaw being formed by very obtuse and partly confluent teeth. The maxillary is dilated and rounded behind, and bent upwards into a sort of hook; the barbels extend to the vertical from the root of the pectoral. The third and fourth dorsal spines are subequal in length, longer than the second, and nearly three-fourths of the length of the head. Greenish olive above, each scale above and below the lateral line with a large pearl-coloured spot; sides yellow; a rose-coloured band on each side of the belly. A large blackish blotch on the lateral line, behind the hind part of the spinous dorsal fin. A second smaller blackish spot behind the orbit; the latter is sometimes very indistinct. Two specimens, 8} inches long, were collected by Messrs. Dow and Salvin on the Pacific coast of Panama. This species would belong to the division which has been called Mullotdes. 44. UPENEUS GRANDISQUAMIS. Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat, Se. Philad. 1863, p. 168. This species, which belongs to Bleeker’s division Upeneus, is described thus :— D. 8)5. A. 7.- L. lat. 30. LL. transv, 22/5. The greatest height is contained four times in the length to the end of the median caudal rays, and four times and a half in the total. The head equals the height, and is itself longer than high, the profile in front of the eyes rapidly declines downwards, and is nearly rectilinear. The diameter of the eye enters thrice and a half in the head’s length, and the height of the preorbitar twice and three-fourths, The supramaxillar ends at the vertical from the front of the eye. The teeth in front of the upper jaw are biserial ; below uniserial. The first dorsal fin is highest at the third spine, and there equals the head in front of the preopercular margin; the first is exceedingly short, and the second and fourth nearly equal, little shorter than the third; all the spines are very slender towards the ends, The distance of the second from the first dorsal enters once DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 421 and three-fourths in the base of the former, and in that interval are three scales ; its length is less than that of the first. The ventral equals the distance of the hinder margin of the orbit from the snout. The tubes of the lateral line have slender branches diverging from them, generally directed obliquely upwards. The larger scales have six radiating strie. The colour is light greenish brown above, with an indistinct silvery spot at the centre of each scale. Below the lateral line, especially between it and the anal fin, the colour is rose. The dorsal fins covered with spots of the colour of the back. ‘The others are immaculate. Two specimens, the longest of which is 74 inches long, were collected by Capt. Dow on the Pacific coast of Central America. 47, CHRYSOPHRYS CALAMUS. A fine example, 16 inches long, has lately been sent by Capt. Dow from Panama. 49, CIRRHITICHTHYS RiVULATUS. (Plate LXXXVL. fig. 4.) Cirrhites rivulatus, Valenc. Voy. Vénus, Poiss. p. 309, pl. 3. fig. 1 (bad). D, iq A. GL. lat. 47. L. transv. 6/14. The height of the body is contained thrice in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head twice and two-thirds. The snout is of moderate extent, compressed and rather elevated ; the maxillary extends beyond the front margin of the eye. Inter- orbital space deeply concave, and half as wide as the orbit; a low longitudinal median crest on the crown of the head. Preoperculum finely serrated behind. The fourth. fifth, and sixth dorsal spines are the longest, two-sevenths of the length of the head, all are of moderate strength. Seven simple pectoral rays, none of which extend so far backwards as the ventral fin. The second anal spine is longer, but scarcely stronger, than the third. Brownish, with transverse dark brown bands and spots, all of which are edged with light blue, There are two of these bands on the head crossing the _preoperculum ; five on the body and tail, composed of large, more or less confluent, round spots ; especially the third and fourth terminate above each in a pair of large spots, the first pair occupying the end of the spinous and commencement of the soft dorsal, the second the basal portion of the end of the soft dorsal. Caudal and anal fins with similar ocellated spots; a brown band across the inner side of the root of the pectoral. ; A single example of this beautiful species, 5 inches long, was obtained by Capt. Dow at Panama. The typical specimen was obtained at the Galapagos Islands. 51, PoLYNEMUS MELANOPOMA, Ginth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 148, Dy. Blsrpmthaceen du lat, 73. Nine free pectoral appendages, the longest of which extends to the vent. Preoper- 422 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. culum finely serrated, with a small spine above the angle. The vomerine teeth form a rounded patch; the band of the palatine teeth is as broad anteriorly as the front part of the intermaxillary band. Operculum black. A single specimen, 15 inches long, was obtained by Mr. Salvin at San José. Description.—This fish is elongated in form, its greatest height being contained five times and a half in the total length, with the caudal, and four times and one-sixth without it. The tail is compressed, its height above the end of the anal fin being half the length of the head. The head is much longer than high, and is contained four times and two-thirds in the total length with the caudal, and thrice and one-third with- out it; its width between the eyes is two-ninths of its length. Snout produced beyond the mouth, obtusely conical, and shorter than the diameter of the eye, which is con- tained five times and a half in the length of the head. The cleft of the mouth is situated on the inferior side of the head, it is extremely wide, the maxillary being more than half the length of the head. The posterior margin of the preoperculum is finely serrated ; the angle is produced, forming a rounded membranaceous lobe. The posterior margin of the opercular apparatus is membranaceous, rounded, and formed by the oper- culum and suboperculum. The origin of the first dorsal is in the vertical from the ninth scale of the lateral line, or from a point about midway between the pectoral and ventral fins. ‘The first spine is minute, the second is the strongest, all the others being flexible ; the third is the longest, contained once and two-thirds in the length of the head; the fourth is longer than the second, and the following rapidly decrease in length. A series of scales ascends behind the second, third, and fourth spines, but disappears at the fifth ; the distance between the two dorsals equals the length of the base of the second, which is entirely covered with scales and has the upper edge strongly emarginate; the second ray is the longest, nearly as high as the spinous dorsal, and twice the height of the last ray. The distance between this fin and the caudal is one-fourth of the total length (without caudal). The caudal fin is completely covered with scales, deeply forked, with the lobes pointed, the upper one being slightly the longer, and one-fourth of the total length. The distance between the anal and caudal fins is less than that between the caudal and dorsal, as the termination of the anal falls behind that of the dorsal, and in the vertical from the 52nd scale of the lateral line. It is entirely covered with scales ; and its origin corresponds to that of the seventh ray of the dorsal; its lower edge is emarginate; the first spine is very small, the second being only one-third the length of the first ray; the first and second rays are the longest, and about thrice the length of the thirteenth or final ray, which, however, is rather longer than the one which pre- cedes it. The pectoral is nearly one-sixth of the total length; its root is covered with minute transparent scales. ‘The free pectoral appendages are long, the third and fourth being the longest, considerably longer than the pectoral fin, and reaching to the vent; the fourth is one-eighth of an inch Jonger than the head. The root of the ventral fin falls behind that of the pectoral, and in a vertical from the twelfth scale of the lateral DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA, 423 line ; it is short, one-eighth of the total length, and does not quite reach the vent; its spine is about one-half the length of the adjacent ray. The scales are of moderate size, longer than high, and have the posterior margin minutely crenulated. Lateral line straight, very slightly bifurcated between the lobes of the caudal. ‘The teeth are minute and villiform, those of the vomer form a rounded or nearly square patch; the band on the palatines cuneiform and elongated, broadest anteriorly. The body is uniform silvery, greenish grey, darker on the back; the fins are minutely dotted with black, the dorsals becoming blackish at their margins. Operculum black. 52. POLYNEMUS APPROXIMANS. Polynemus approximans, Lay & Benn. in Beechey’s Voy. Zool. Fish. p. 57. Trichidion approximans, Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Se. Philad. 1863, p. 169. D.7\5. Aj L. lat. 60. 15 Six pectoral appendages, the longest of which reaches to the commencement of the anal fin. The length of the caudal lobes is rather more than one-fourth of the total length, Pectoral fins blackish. Description.—This fish is moderately elongate in form; its greatest height, which is between the root of the second dorsal and anal fins, is contained four times and one-third in the total length with the caudal, and thrice and one-fourth in the same without caudal. ‘The tail is compressed, its height above the end of the anal being contained seven times and one-third in the total length. The head is much longer than high ; its length is about four times and a half in the total with, and thrice and a half without caudal; its width between the eyes is nearly one fourth of its length. The snout is produced, obtusely conical, and shorter than the diameter of the eye, which is one-fifth of the length of the head. ‘The cleft of the mouth is situated at the inferior side of the head, as usual; it is wide; the maxillary reaching considerably behind the orbit, but the length of the bone is only two-fifths of that of the head. The posterior margin of the preoperculum is armed with a distinct serrature, and one or two more distinct teeth above the projecting membranaceous lobe of the angle. ‘The posterior extremity of the opercular apparatus is angular, membranaceous, and formed by the operculum and suboperculum. ‘The origin of the first dorsal is opposite to the eighth scale of the lateral line, and in the vertical between the roots of the pectoral and yentral fins. The first spine is minute, the second shorter than the third, which is the longest, and con- tained about once and one-third in the length of the head; the fourth is longer than the second; and the subsequent spines rapidly decrease in length, rendering the upper margin almost vertical. ‘There is a series of scales behind each spine almost to the top. The distance between the two dorsals is more than the length of the base of the second, which is entirely covered with scales and has the upper margin emarginate ; the first and second rays are the longest, not so high as the spinous dorsal, more than twice as long as the hindmost rays. The distance between this fin and the caudal is 424 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. one-fifth of the total length. The caudal fin is completely covered with scales, deeply forked, with the lobes pointed, the upper one being rather the longer. The distance between the caudal and anal fins is less than that between the dorsal and caudal, as the extremity of the anal falls behind that of the dorsal, or in the vertical from the forty- third scale of the lateral line. Its origin corresponds to that of the dorsal; and it has the lower edge straight or very slightly emarginate; it is entirely covered with scales. The first two spines are very small, and the third not half the length of the first ray ; the first and second rays are the longest, but not twice as long as the fifteeenth or terminal ray. The length of the pectoral is not one-fourth of the total; it has minute scales towards the base. The free pectoral appendages are six in number; the upper one is the longest, reaching to the anal fin, and is not quite one-third of the total length. The root of the ventral falls a little behind the middle of the pectoral, and in the vertical from the eleventh scale of the lateral line; it is short, one-eighth of the total length, reaching to the vent; its spine is more than half the length of the adjacent ray. ‘The scales are of moderate size, scarcely higher than long, and minutely ciliated on the posterior margin. ‘The lateral line is straight, bifurcating between the lobes of the caudal. Teeth on the vomer in a narrow transverse patch. Two specimens, 12 inches long, are in the Collection, one found by Mr. Salvin at Chiapam, the other by Capt. Dow at Panama. Mr. Gill first recognized this species, which is not identical with P. ranthonemus, as suggested in the ‘ Catal. of Fishes.’ 53. PoLYNEMUS OPERCULARIS. Trichidion opercularis, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1863, p. 169. This fish is described thus :— D. 8|/% Aq L. lat. 69-70. L. transv, 8/14, The greatest height equals a fourth of the length to the fork of the caudal fin, and more than a fifth of the extreme, while the head enters four times and a half in the latter. The outline from the dorsal to the snout is nearly rectilinear and little declined. The distance of the anal from the outer axil of the ventral equals that of the posterior nostril from the margin of operculum. The first dorsal, when bent backwards, rests on the fourth scale, in front of the second. The second commences nearly above the twentieth scale of the lateral line. The pectoral is as long as the head behind the pupil. There are eight pectoral filaments, the longest of which extends rather beyond the front of the second dorsal. ‘The colour is greenish brown above and yellowish green below. The operculum is blackish. The first dorsal and the pectorals, except below, are also blackish, as is likewise the margin of the caudal. The anal is tinged with orange. ; A single specimen, 11 inches long, was collected by Capt. Dow at Panama. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 425 54. LARIMUS BREVICEPS. Larimus breviceps, Cuv. & Val. v. p. 146, pl. 111. Giinth. Fish. ii. p. 268. Amblyscion argenteus, Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1864, p. 165. Having recently received a fine example of this fish from Panama through Capt. Dow, I have convinced myself that the Pacific examples are not specifically, much less generically, distinct from West-Indian ones. 56. MIcROPOGON ALTIPINNIS. Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 149. D.10|5. A. 2/7. L lat. 48-50.. L. transv. 7/15. The height of the body is contained thrice and two-thirds in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head thrice and a half. ‘The maxillary extends scarcely beyond the vertical from the anterior margin of the eye. A series of five minute barbels along each side of the mental groove. Two short, strong, divergent spines at the angle of the preoperculum. ‘The third and fourth dorsal spines are long, their length being three-fifths of that of the head; anal spine of moderate strength, not quite one-fourth of the length of the head. Nearly uniform silvery. Two specimens were procured by Mr. Salvin—one, 17 inches long, at Chiapam, and another, 14 inches long, at San José; a third specimen, 43 inches long, was found by Capt. Dow at Panama: this agrees in every other respect with the older examples, but of the minute barbels only a trace of the anterior (longest) pair is visible; so that it appears that this generic (!) character is developed with age. 57. UmBRINA ELoNGATA. (Pl. LXIV. fig. 2.) Ginth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 148. D.10|%- A. 1/7. L. lat. 70. L. transv. 7/22. The height of the body is contained four times and a third in the total length (without caudal), and five times if the caudal is included ; the length of the head is two-sevenths of the total, or one-fourth if the caudal is included. The depth of the head is contained once and three-fourths in its length. Snout long; the diameter of the eye is two-fifths of the length of the snout, and one-fourth of the postorbital part of the head. Sym physial barbel very short, as long as the posterior nostril. Preeoperculum without distinct serrature. The length of the second dorsal spine is one-half of that of the head. Posterior margin of the caudal f-shaped, the upper lobe being pointed, the lower rounded; anal spine very feeble. The maxillary extends to the vertical from the anterior margin of the orbit. Upper parts blackish, shining silvery, the lower white. One specimen, 17 inches long, was found by Mr. Salvin at Chiapam. VOL. VI.—PART VII. 3.N 426 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 58. UMBRINA NASUS. D10|4. A.1/8. L. lat: 54. L. transv. 6/14. The height of the body is contained four times in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head thrice and one-fourth. Snout much produced beyond the mouth, which is quite at the lower side of the snout. ‘The diameter of the eye is two- thirds of the length of the snout, and two-fifths of that of the postorbital portion otf the head. Symphysial barbel very short, scarcely as long as the posterior nostril. Preoperculum distinctly serrated. The second and third dorsal spines are as long as the head, without snout. Posterior margin of the caudal fin fshaped, the upper lobe being pointed, the lower rounded; anal spine very feeble. ‘The maxillary extends to below the centre of the orbit. Silvery, fins blackish. One specimen, 10 inches long, was found by Capt. Dow at Panama. 59. UMBRINA ANALIS. D.10|3. A. 2/6. L. lat. 46-48. L. transv. 6/15. The height of the body is one-third of the total length (without caudal), the length of the head two-sevenths. Snout compressed, rather deep, of moderate extent, longer than the eye, which is two-ninths of the length of the head, and equal to the width of the interorbital space. Snout overlapping the mouth, but not much protruding beyond it. Barbel very short, scarcely as long as the posterior nostril. Preoperculum distinctly serrated. The second and third dorsal spines are not quite as long as the head without snout. Caudal fin subtruncate. Anal spine very strong, more than half as long as the head. ‘The maxillary extends beyond the front margin of the eye. An oblique dark streak runs along each series of scales. The spinous dorsal fin blackish. One specimen, 11 inches long, was found by Capt. Dow at Panama. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 427 I thought it possible for some time that this fish might be identical with Umbrina undulata of Girard ; however, as this writer states that the anal spines of U. wndulata are feeble, and gives 1/9 for the number of anal rays, we are not justified in identifying these two species. 61. CorviNA cHRysoLEucA. (Pl. LXVII. fig. 1.) Allied to C. ronchus. D. 10)s55. A. 5 L. lat. 55-56. L. transv. ©. The height of the body is contained thrice in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head thrice and one-third. Head thick ; snout obtuse, with the upper jaw slightly overlapping the lower, as long as the diameter of the eye, which is con- tained four times and two-thirds in the length of the head. The maxillary is nearly entirely hidden by the preorbital, and extends beyond the vertical from the centre of the orbit. Teeth of the outer series of the upper jaw rather stronger than the others. Interorbital space slightly convex, only one-third wider than the orbit, its width being two-sevenths of the length of the head. Przoperculum with spinous teeth round its margin, three on and below the angle being much stronger than the others. Supra- scapular denticulated. The second dorsal spine is the strongest, and the third the longest, being as long as the postorbital portion of the head. ‘The second anal spine is very strong, as long as the longest of the spinous dorsal, and not much shorter than the first anal ray. Caudal fin irregularly rounded. Silvery, irregularly mottled with large brownish patches shining golden. A young specimen (5 inches long) is more uniform silvery. Two specimens, 9 inches long, were collected by Capt. Dow at Panama. I have observed in this species a most extraordinary variation in the size of the scales above the lateral line, such as I do not recollect having seen in other Acanthopterygian fishes. ‘The two larger specimens are of nearly the same size; yet the dorsal scales of one are only half the size of those of the other. ‘The lateral line is composed of nearly the same number of scales in both, and also the scales below the lateral are of nearly the same size. 62. Corvina verMicuLaris. (PI. LXVII. fig. 2. D. 10; 24 A, = L. transv. we The height of the body is a little more than one-third of the total length (without caudal); the length of the head two-sevenths. Head moderately compressed, snout obtuse, with the upper jaw overlapping the lower, a little longer than the diameter of the eye, which is one-fifth of the length of the head. The maxillary is entirely hidden by the preorbital, and extends somewhat beyond the vertical from the centre of the orbit. Teeth of the outer series of the upper jaw rather stronger than the others. Interorbital space convex, only one-fourth wider than the orbit, its width being one- 3N2 428 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. fourth of the length of the head. Praoperculum with spinous teeth round its margin ; they are rather widely set and of equally small size. Suprascapular scarcely denticu- lated. ‘The second dorsal spine is scarcely stronger than, and but half as long as, the third, the length of which exceeds somewhat that of the postorbital portion of the head. The second anal spine is very strong, rather shorter than the succeeding ray, and equal in length to the postorbital portion of the head. Caudal fin rounded, with the upper lobe slightly produced. Scales irregularly arranged. Purplish shining silvery; a purplish brown streak, obliquely ascending backwards, follows the middle of each series of scales. Fins brown. A single specimen, 8 inches long, was found by Capt. Dow at Panama. 65. CORVINA ARMATA. Bairdiella armata, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Se. Philad. 1863, p. 164. This species, which is evidently allied to C. ronchus, is described thus :— D.10|5. A.Z L. lat. 51. L, transv. 7/10. The height equals a fourth of the total length, of which the head forms a fourth. The caudal fin equals the head behind the front margin of the eye. The diameter of the eye enters four times and a half in the head’s length, somewhat exceeds the inter- orbital area, which is scarcely convex, and equals the snout. ‘The fourth dorsal spine is longest, and nearly equals half the head’s length; all are stout and robust. ‘The second dorsal commences nearly above the twentieth scale of the lateral line, or tip of pectoral. ‘The second anal spine is very strong, longer than the: first ray, and nearly equals the interval between the front of orbit and opercular flap ; the soft fin behind is incurved. The pectoral equals the interval between the middle of the pupil and the opercular flap, and the ventral that between the front of the pupil and the same. The colour is hoary above, silvery below; the fins yellowish; the vertical, especially the first dorsal, clouded with darker. Found by Capt. Dow at Panama. 64. CORVINA OPHIOSCION. Ophioscion typicus, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Se. Philad. 1863, p. 164. D. 10 | a5. A. ;. L. lat. 49. _L. transv. a. The height of the body is nearly equal to the length of the head, and two-sevenths of the total (without caudal). Head rather low, snout obtuse, but prominent, with the upper jaw projecting beyond the lower, the cleft of the mouth being quite at the lower side of the snout. The diameter of the eye equals the extent of-the snout, and is two- ninths of the length of the head. The maxillary is entirely hidden by the preorbital, and extends to below the middle of the orbit. Teeth of the outer series of the upper jaw rather stronger than the others. Interorbital space scarcely convex, only one-third DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 429 wider than the orbit, its width being two-sevenths of the length of the head. Pre- operculum with straight, widely-set, spinous teeth round its margin, those on or near the angle being slightly the strongest. ‘The second dorsal spine is the strongest, the third the longest, its length being more than that of the postorbital portion of the head. The second anal spine is exceedingly strong, about as long as the third dorsal spine, or as the first anal ray. Caudal fin irregularly rounded. Uniform silvery; top of the spinous dorsal blackish. This species appears to be scarce at Panama, Capt. Dow having collected only two examples, of 8 and 6 inches in length. 65. OTOLITHUS SQUAMIPINNIS. W078 eet ore. bes lat. 8d: Scales rather irregularly arranged; there are nine longitudinal series between the origin of the first dorsal fin and the lateral line, and five or six between the end of the second dorsal fin and the lateral line. The height of the body is contained four times and one-sixth in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head thrice and one-fourth. Lower jaw very prominent, the extent of the snout being contained thrice and one-third in the length of the head. The width of the interorbital space is more than the diameter of the eye, and equals the extent of the upper jaw from the orbit. The maxillary extends to the vertical from the hind margin of the orbit. _Preeopercular angle slightly produced, dilated into a membranaceous margin which is faintly striated. The spinous dorsal is longer than high; the spines are feeble, the length of the third being two-fifths of that of the head. Caudal fin rounded, the middle rays being the longest. The membrane of the soft dorsal and anal fins is covered with small, transpa- rent scales, which form a thickish cover on the base of these fins. ‘The length of the pectoral is three-fifths of that of the head. Body uniformly coloured, scales on the sides minutely punctulated with brown ; hinder side of the axil of the pectoral brown. Inner membrane of the gill-cover black. Ventral yellowish. Two specimens, 10 & 11 inches long, were collected by Capt. Dow at Panama. 66. OTOLITHUS ALBUS. Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 149. D.10\5- A. 2/9. Scales rather irregularly arranged ; there are seven series between the origin of the dorsal fin and the lateral line. ‘The height of the body is one-fourth of the total length (without caudal), the length of the head two-sevenths. The extent of the snout is one- fourth of the length of the head; the maxillary extends somewhat beyond the vertical from the posterior margin of the eye. Preopercular angle not produced behind. ‘The spinous dorsal is much longer than high ; its spines are feeble, the length of the fourth 430 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. being two-fifths of that of the head. Caudal fin rounded, with the middle rays pro- duced. ‘The second anal spine is truly spinous, not flexible, two-fifths of the length of the first soft ray. Membrane of the dorsal and anal fins not scaly. The pectoral fin extends as far backwards as the ventral, being more than half as long as the head. Immaculate, silvery, back greenish. (Pseudobranchie present.) One specimen, 143 inches long, was obtained by Mr. Salvin at Chiapam. 67. OTOLITHUS RETICULATUS. Giinth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 149. D. 10 ee may | eal (ar). Closely allied to O. carolinensis. Scales rather irregularly arranged; there are nine series between the origin of the dorsal fin and the lateral line. The height of the body is contained four times and a third in the total length (without caudal); the length of the head thrice and a third. The extent of the snout is two-sevenths of the length of the head; the maxillary does not extend backwards to the vertical from the posterior margin of the eye; preopercular angle somewhat produced behind, membranaceous, striated; the posterior margin of the preoperculum obliquely descending backwards. The spinous dorsal is much longer than high ; its spines are feeble, the fourth being the longest, two-fifths of the length of the head. Caudal fin subtruncated, the middle rays somewhat produced. The first anal ray is quite rudimentary; the second as long as the eye, flexible, scarcely spinous. The pectoral fin extends as far backwards as the ventral, being more than half as long as the head. Back and sides with an irregular network of brown undulated streaks ; fins immaculate. Two specimens were collected by Mr. Salvin—one, 15 inches long, at San José, the other, 13 inches long, at Chiapam. 71. CARANX LEUCURUS. Ginth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 24. Very closely allied to C. bicolor. D. 8) 5. A. 2| aray The first dorsal fin is composed of short, stoutish spines, the fourth of which is the longest, but scarcely longer than the eye. ‘The soft dorsal and anal are rather elevated ; the caudal is emarginate, and has the lobes rounded. Teeth very small, forming a single series in both jaws; palate smooth. The height of the body is one-half of the total length (without caudal), the length of the head one-third. Snout rather obtuse, the jaws being equal in front when the mouth is closed; the maxillary extends to below the anterior margin of the orbit. The lateral line makes anteriorly a subsemi- circular curve, the width of which is contained from once and two-thirds to once and four-fifths in the length of the straight portion ; it becomes straight behind the vertical DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 451 from the origin of the second dorsal, and is armed with about fifty small and low shields, only a few of which terminate in a depressed spine. ‘The pectoral fin extends to the anal spines. Brownish grey, body with six dark brown vertical bands; the first crosses the body behind the base of the pectoral, and the fourth descends from the middle of the soft dorsal fin. Operculum with a large black spot. Dorsal, anal, and ventral black ; pectoral and caudal whitish. Only two examples, three inches long, were found by Capt. Dow at Panama. 72. CaRANXx spEctosus (Forsk.). Having examined specimens from Panama, collected by Mr. Salvin, and compared them with others from Borneo, Madras, Zanzibar, &c., I have convinced myself that C. panamensis, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1863, p. 166, is identical with C. speciosus. 74. Caranx uippos, L. We have received two examples from the Pacific coast of Panama from Capt. Dow. The younger one, which is 5 inches long, agrees in every point, especially in the height of the body, with Atlantic examples of this species, whilst the older, 10 inches, is identical with that remarkable form described by Mr. Gill as Carangus marginatus (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1865, p. 166). This is considerably lower in form than the type, the height of the body being only two-sevenths of the total length; but having had an opportunity of comparing the example first mentioned, I do not think it entitled to specific rank, but regard it merely as a variety. The formula of fin rays in our example is D. 7|3. A. 2 lia 75. CARANX CABALLUS. Trachurus boops, Girard, U. S. Pac. R. R. Exped. Fish. p. 108; Giinth. Fish. i. p. 422 (not C. boops, C. & V.). De Wilsemey Ail moi Ti. lots (BT. The teeth of the upper jaw form a villitorm band, those of the outer series being a little the larger; those of the lower are in a single series; teeth on the vomer, the palatines, and the tongue. The height of the body is two-sevenths of the total length (without caudal), the length of the head rather more than one-fourth. Eye with a broad adipose membrane in front and behind. Breast scaly. The lateral line is curved, the width of the arch being one-half of the length of the straight portion ; the latter commences in the vertical from the third dorsal ray; the plates commence from the beginning of the straight portion of the lateral line, and are well developed. Lower jaw projecting beyond the upper; maxillary extending to below the anterior rim of the pupil. Pectoral reaching beyond the anterior anal rays. A black opercular spot: Two specimens were collected by Capt. Dow at Panama; the species extends north- wards to the coast of California. 432 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 76. CARANX CANINUS. D.8|5, A.2|5. L. lat. 24. The teeth in the upper jaw form a villiform band, those of the outer series being much the stronger, and widely set. Lower jaw with a single series of rather strong, closely set teeth, and with the two anterior ones somewhat enlarged, canine-like ; teeth on the vomer, the palatines, and the tongue. The height of the body is a little more than the length of the head, and one-third of the total (without caudal). Snout obtuse, as long as the diameter of the eye; eye with an adipose eyelid in front and behind. Preorbital much narrower than the orbit. The maxillary extends beyond the vertical from the centre of the eye. Breast naked; lateral line slightly bent, the width of the arch being contained once and one-third in the length of the straight portion; the latter commences in the vertical from the fifth dorsal ray; the plates do not reach forward to the end of the arched portion, and are well developed. Lower jaw scarcely projecting beyond the upper. Dorsal spines rather stont and short; the fourth is the longest, and one-third of the length of the head. The pectoral extends to the fifth anal ray. A black opercular spot. Membrane of the soft dorsal and anal blackish. One specimen, 74 inches long, was discovered by Capt. Dow at Panama. 77. CARANX DORSALIS. Carangoides dorsalis, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Se. Philad. 1863, p. 166. D.4-5|7 A.2|ig LL. lat. 25°. The teeth in both jaws form villiform bands; teeth on the vomer, the palatine bones, and on the tongue. The height of the body is contained once and four-fifths in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head thrice and one-fourth. The first dorsal fin is but little developed, the spines being short, feeble, and flexible. Anterior rays of the dorsal and anal fins prolonged into a very long filament, sometimes longer than the whole body. Jaws equal in length, the maxillary extends to the vertical from the front margin of the orbit. Lateral line bent, the width of its arch being as long as the straight portion ; the latter commences below the middle of the second dorsal fin. The plates are moderately developed, and commence at some distance from the bend of the lateral line. Gill-membrane above the pectoral blackish; posterior half of the ventrals black. Panama. We have received two examples from Capt. Dow, one 19 inches long. * Mr. Gill counted 44; this is either a mistake, or he has counted small scales not deserving the name of plates. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 433 82. CHORINEMUS ALTUS. D.5|45. A. 2| 55 The height of the body is contained thrice in the total length (without caudal), the length of the head four times and one-fourth. Eye rather large, its diameter being equal to the length of the snout, and one-fourth of that of the head. Lower jaw projecting be- yond the upper. “Maxillary very narrow posteriorly, scarcely extending to the ver- tical from the hind margin of the eye; the length of the intermaxillary is contained once and three-fourths in the length of the head. The infraorbital, situated above the maxillary, is as broad as the bone next above it; none of these bones reach to the anterior preopercular ridge. Pectoral fin longer than the ventral, nearly as long as the head (with- out snout). Coloration uniform. One example, 11 inches long, has been recently sent by Capt. Dow from Panama. 83. CHORINEMUS INORNATUS, Oligoplites inornatus, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1863, p. 166. . D.5|5, A. 2|a. “The height of the body enters four times and two-thirds in the total length; the length of the head five times and two-thirds. The upper maxillary reaches nearly to the vertical from the hinder margin of the orbit; the intermaxillary enters twice and one-third in the head’s length. The snout is a little longer than the diameter of the eye; the latter equals a quarter of the head’s length. ‘The infraorbital bones do not extend to the preoperculum; the one above the maxillary bones is wider than the one above itself, and as wide as that behind the eye. The opercular apparatus is vertical in front of the pectoral, and for an equal space above. The preoperculum is nearly vertical, and its angle obliquely rounded. The width of the operculum and suboper- culum in front of the lower axilla of the pectoral equals the diameter of the eye and the interval between suboperculum and axil. ‘lhe pectoral equals the interval between its axis and the hinder border of the pupil; the ventral is rather shorter, but its end almost or quite reaches to the anus. The colour is uniform, tinged with blue above.” One adult specimen was collected by Capt. Dow on the Pacific coast of Central America. VOL. VI.—PART VII. 30 434 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 85. TRacHyNoTus FasciAtus. (Plate LXIX. fig. 4.) Trachynotus fasciatus, Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Se. Philad. 1863, p. 86. glaucoides, Giinth, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 150. D. 6| 5. A. 2\z5 Closely allied to 7. glaucus, but with the body more elevated. ‘The height of the body is one-half of the total length (without caudal); the length of the head two- sevenths. The maxillary extends to below the middle of the eye. Anterior dorsal and anterior anal rays, and the caudal lobes, much prolonged, the length of the latter being two-sevenths of the total. The ventral fin does not eatend to the vent. Five narrow blackish vertical bars across the lateral line. One specimen, 7 inches long, was obtained by Mr. Salvin at San José; two others, 11 inches long, were obtained by Capt. Dow at Panama. Description.—This species has the body (without caudal) of a rhomboidal form, its greatest height being between the last spine of the dorsal and the vent, and one-half of the total length (without caudal); the upper profile between the dorsal and the snout is oblique, feebly convex over the eye. The length of the head is contained thrice and one- half in the total (without caudal). ‘The diameter of the eye is rather more than the length of the snout, and contained thrice and two-thirds in that of the head. The cleft of the mouth is narrow; the maxillary reaches nearly to the level of the centre of the diameter of the eye; its length is a little more than one-third of that of the head. The width of the space between the eyes is more than one-third of the length of the head, or equal to the distance from the tip of the snout to the centre of the eye. Praoperculum with the hinder margin straight, and at a right angle with the lower border, which is also straight and parallel with the axis of the body. Operculum small, narrow, about two- thirds as long as high; the hinder border of the opercular apparatus is formed almost entirely of the sub- and interoperculum ; it is rounded and membranaceous: the line of the separation between the operculum and suboperculum is at right angles with that between the sub- and interoperculum. There is a recumbent spine before the com- mencement of the first dorsal, and in a line with the posterior part of the axil of the pectoral ; the dorsal spines, seven in number, are short; the first is minute, but erect, and not attached by any apparent membrane to the second; the others show a slight progression in dimensions, and are united by a low membrane. The base of the soft dorsal is not twice as long as that of the spinous; the first two rays, which are the longest, project considerably beyond any of the others, and are equal to half the length of the body (without the caudal); the following rays diminish very rapidly in length, and from the eighth ray to the last the fin is scarcely higher than the spinous dorsal, and its upper edge almost straight. The distance between the dorsal fin and the caudal is equal to that between the anal and caudal. ‘The anal fin is preceded by three short spines about equal to the fourth, fifth, and sixth of the dorsal. The base of the DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 435 soft portion of the anal is about as long as that of the soft dorsal: it consists of eighteen rays, and perfectly resembles the soft dorsal in shape, having the first two rays much longer than the others, equal to the corresponding rays in the dorsal, and the following rays rapidly decreasing in length to the sixth, from which the margin of the fin is almost straight. The pectoral fin is pointed, of moderate size, its length being three-fourths that of the head. The ventrals are short, more than half the length of the pectoral, and not reaching to the vent. The tail behind the dorsal and anal is compressed and narrow. ‘The caudal is deeply forked; the lobes are equal, and con- tained thrice and a half in the total length; it is covered with small scales. The body is covered with very minute scales ; those at the base of the vertical fins and near the lateral line are a little larger. The head and opercular bones are entirely naked. The lateral line shows a somewhat irregular sinuosity slightly above the median axis of the body for the first half of its length, after which it is perfectly straight, termi- nating between the two lobes of the caudal. ‘Teeth small, villiform; a small central patch on the vomer, and a narrow one on each of the palatines. Bluish green above, silvery beneath. Five vertical brown stripes down the sides of the body across the lateral line, the first two being nearer together than the others, which are at almost equal distances: the first behind the axil of the pectoral, the second below the third dorsal spine, the third below the sixth, the fourth below the seventh dorsal ray, and the fifth below the seventeenth. However, the second and third of these bands are placed sometimes more backwards, which is evidently the case in the example described by Mr. Gill, and named by him 7. fasciatus. Having recently obtained two examples from Capt. Dow, one of which shows the arrangement of the bands as in 7’. glaucoides, on one side, and that of 7. fasciatus on the other, I cannot entertain any doubt as to the specific identity of these fishes. 86. PrLAMys SARDA, Bl. We may mention this species here, although it is not contained in any of the collec- tions forming the material for this Memoir, because Dr. Ayres alludes to it in the following manner :—‘* A species of Pelamys brought to the markets of San Francisco is without ques- tion the P. sarda. The closest examination fails to distinguish it from the Atlantic form. Previous to this time we had no positive knowledge of any fish in the low latitudes which inhabits Californian waters and those of the Atlantic.”—Proc. Calif. Acad. 1855, p. 74. 90. Barracnus pactrict (Gthr.). In other specimens recently collected by Capt. Dow at Panama, I find the membrane at the bottom of the pouch of the axil of the pectoral fin (described in Fish. iii. p. 173) folded and wrinkled, with a great quantity of coagulated mucus between the folds. The same species appears to occur also on the coast of West Africa, a specimen having been lately obtained by Dr. Steindachner, who describes it as B. liberiensis (Sitzgsber. Ak. Wiss. Wien, 1867, lv. p. 525, Taf. 1. figs. 2 & 3). DLOne 436 DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. THALASSOPHRYNE!. Thalassophryne, Giinth. Fish. iii. p. 174. Head broad, depressed; body subcylindrical anteriorly, and compressed posteriorly ; skin naked. Canine teeth none. Operculum with a single spine. The spinous dorsal formed by two spines of moderate length. ‘The opercular and dorsal spines with a canal conducting a poisonous fluid from a sac situated at their base. Gill-opening not very narrow, not extending to the isthmus. Atlantic coasts of Tropical America. 92. 'THALASSOPHRYNE MACULOSA. (Plate LX VIII. fig. 1.) Giinth. Fish. iii. p. 175. De2)19, A. 18. Ve 1/2. Brown, marbled with darker; some round black spots on the pectoral and the side of the body. The general habitus is that of a Batrachus. The head is somewhat longer than broad, its length being contained thrice and one-third in the total; it is moderately depressed. The snout is short, obtuse, with the cleft of the mouth ascending obliquely upwards, and with the chin prominent. The maxillary extends to the vertical from the posterior margin of the orbit. . The teeth are obtusely conical, standing in single series, except anteriorly in the lower jaw, where they form two series, and in the upper, where they are cardiform, in a narrow band. ‘The eyes are directed upwards and very small, their width being one-half of that of the bony bridge between the orbits. Gill-covers with a single spine; it is long, slender, cylindrical, like one of the dorsal spines, and has the operculum for its base. Gill-opening not very narrow; it extends from the upper base of the pectoral obliquely downwards and forwards to the level of the inferior base of the pectoral. The two dorsal spines are slender, pungent, about one-third of the length of the head. Dorsal and anal fins terminate immediately before the root of the caudal, the length of which is one-seventh of the total. Pectoral obliquely rounded, extending to the origin of the anal; ventral rather short, not quite one-half the length of the head, extending to the base of the pectoral. Skin perfectly smooth, with some very short tentacles at the lower jaw. Two short horizontal muciferous channels on the cheek and the lateral line are very distinct; they are not, as usually, composed of a series of distant pores, but the pores are confluent, forming one continuous groove of a white colour. Other muciferous channels, as for instance along the base of the anal, are composed of separate indistinct pores. Colour brown, marbled with darker ; pectoral fins and sides of the body with some round black spots; chin and ventrals brownish ; belly white. A single specimen from Puerto Cabello is known. ” Greek denomination for Sea-toad. DR. GUNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 437 STi gyi este sg eve Recetas ae pale ho oni n ta waite a 54 ene thuotathegn cadre tet actetusens cic. fclSee) si svn sciienaacias 16 With OtetnerinCalumemaameacrp rs saci sa x sels scioadomanliekiclddece 14 Men thpot tae Mea dy wecase soe nehits 4 paras 50s «lin seles opie once 10 Diamctero tt heleye ten seeuc ect sith ac feacinc0 5h laFeesact ence 1 Benethy of te Camda, onc cavehwsesiecscevsesssseasscnveas 8 Ofsihewvemtr alle tim pase ot sclactact od sscioe seen ssencch 7 93. THALASSOPHRYNE RETICULATA. (Plate LXVIII. fig. 2. Ginth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, pp. 150, 155. Deyaj24s (ACA