HuTTON. — On the Moas of Neio Zealand. 



121 



Palapteryx dromioides. 



Dinornis dromioides, Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc, vol. iii., 

 p. 235 (1843), femur. Pal. dromioides, Owen, I.e., 

 vol. iii., p. 307 (1846), metatarsus and tibia. Pal- 

 apteryx dromioides, Keichenbach, Nat. Syst. der Vogel 

 (1850). 



J'/^'zwcs.— Metatarsus, Ext. Birds of N.Z., pi. xl., fig. 2; 

 tibia, pi. xxxix., fig. 1 ; femur, pi. xxii., figs. 1, 2, and pi. 

 xxiii., fig. 2; cranium, pi. xlv. (as geranoides), and pi. xlvi., 

 figs. 4-6 '(?). Mantell's 

 p. 119. 



'Petrifactions and their Teachings, 



Breadth of the skull at the temporal fossae, l-7in. ; at 

 the post-frontal processes, 2'6iu. Length of the lower jaw, 

 5-3in. (?). Length of scapulo-coracoid, 8-25in. ; coraco-scapular 

 angle about 125°. 



Distribution. — The type is from Wanganui sand-dunes, but 

 it has also been found at Poverty Bay and in the Te Ante 

 Swamp. There are two femora in the Wellington Museum 

 from Lyall's Bay. 



The skull from Wanganui, attributed by Professor Owen 

 to C. geranoides, is certainly too large for that species, while 

 it appears to be too small for D. struthioides ; and, as the 

 skulls of S. castiarimis and A. didiformis are known, P. 

 dromioides is the only species left to which it can belong. A 

 small scapulo-coracoid of Dinornis form is in Mr. Hamilton's 

 collection from Te Ante, which, from its size, I refer to this 

 species. It has a distinct glenoid cavity. 



