Hamilton. — On the Genus Aptornis. 179 



are relatively enormous and very massive, and Professor Owen 

 says (p. 373, op. cit.), " No Anserine comes near Cncmiornis 

 in this respect. Its cervical vertebrae recall the proportions 

 of those in Megaceros, and have a like relation to the muscular 

 force brought to bear on the head. . . . This is probably 

 related to the grip and tug exercised by the . , . strong 

 beak upon the vegetable growths torn up for food." The 

 professor, in the note at the foot of p. 372, states that twelve 

 cervical vertebrae of Cncmiornis were collected by the Hon. 

 Captain Fraser in the Earnscleugh Cave, and that Dr. Hector 

 attributed them to the same individual bird. If figures of 

 these had been available, the professor would have doubtless 

 corrected his identification, as they would have differed greatly 

 from those put forward in plates Ixvi., cii., and Ixvii. of his 

 memoir on the " Extinct Birds of New Zealand." 



The whole of the vertebrae figured by Professor Owen as 

 belonging to Cnemiornis may be taken as representing vertebrae 

 of Aptornis. I do not now intend to go into the details of the 

 structure of the bones of the axial skeleton of this bird, but I 

 may say that every vertebra will well repay careful examina- 

 tion, the whole forming a series quite unique in its propor- 

 tions, and I have no doubt that some day a most interesting 

 paper will be written concerning it. I have not yet succeeded 

 in finding any caudal vertebrae. 



The Pelvis. — The series of bones of Aptornis included four 

 specimens of that compound bone called the pelvis ; and one 

 of the specimens is absolutely perfect, just as if it had been 

 prepared by maceration in the workshop. The others are 

 more or less imperfect, the only point of interest about them 

 being that in the one marked C an additional vertebra has 

 coalesced with the sacral portion of the pelvis, making three 

 rib-bearing vertebrae in the pelvic mass. The pubic bones in 

 the best specimen are quite entire, and enable the figure given 

 in plate Ixxxix. of the " Extinct Birds of New Zealand," and 

 plate xiv. in the 8th volume of the Transactions of the 

 Zoological Society, to be completed. As already noticed by 

 Professor Owen, the structure of the pelvis of this bird is 

 pre-eminent as an example of strength combined with light- 

 ness. 



The Sternum. — The much-reduced sternum of this bird is 

 represented by four specimens, three of which are perfect, 

 the other being very slightly injured. They agree almost 

 exactly with the one already figured. The coracoid has 

 been figured by Owen as the coracoid of the extinct goose 

 {Cncmiornis), and a portion added in outline to show how it 

 fitted the coracoid notch in the sternum. Now, in this collec- 

 tion there are three specimens of this important bo e, and, as 

 if to prevent any possibility of error, one is completely anchy- 



