Coubnso.— -On a new Sphenodon. 121 



punctatum these latter " vary in number from 2 to 4, and 

 are small." The additional large foramen between the dentary 

 and articular bones, mentioned by Dr. Giinther as being large in 

 Sphenodon punctatum, is also found here in this specimen, and is 

 very large. This lower jaw has lost its coronoid, which 

 separated at the suture ; the very small and splintery splenial, 

 and articular, were also separated at their sutures, but these two 

 were with the bones. 



8. The palatine, with its additional row of bony teeth, is a 

 highly curious bone ; when this is fixed in its natural situation 

 in the roof of the mouth, forming an extra line of teeth parallel 

 with those of the upper jaw, the teeth of the lower jaw are so 

 situated as to fall in, or close up, between those two lines. 



III. Of the Remaining Bones of the Skull : — 



1. The inner basal portion, with the exoccipital bones, is 

 complete ; these are, however, much smaller than those of 

 Sphenodon punctatum, yet the occipital hole (foramen magnum) is 

 considerably larger. There is a most peculiar isolated internal 

 bone, arising centrally from above the anterior hypapophysis of 

 basis-phenoid, and also the pterygoid ; it is not thicker than a 

 bristle, and about 4 lines long ; it is semi-cylindrical, and 

 curved upwards, and wonderfully preserved ! There is no such 

 a bone shown in Dr. Giinther's careful and able dissections of 

 the skull of Sphenodon punctatum ; * but it exists, though smaller 

 and stouter and scarcely seen, in the Wellington specimen 

 (which is badly preserved). 



2. The os quadratum (1 only) is much broader at the end than 

 that of Sphenodon punctatum, as shown in Dr. Giinther's plate ; 

 besides, the suture joining- it to the pterygoid is of a different 

 shape ; it is also different from that of the Wellington specimen. 



3. There are also a few other very small, thin bones, mere 

 chips, separated at their sutures, and not yet ascertained. 



IV. Of the Fore-limb :— 



Of this, there are 1 humerus, 1 ulna, and 1 radius ; the two 

 former are whole, the latter broken. The humerus is very stout, 

 and is a beautiful piece of mechanism. Dr. Giinther gives no 

 drawing of these bones (though he does of the adjoining scapula 

 and coracoid), and says very little about them, save that " they are 

 similar in form to those of other known genera of this family." 

 These three bones resemble those of the Wellington skeleton as 

 tar as those can be seen. 



V. Of the Vertebra: — 



1. There are only 9 joints ; 4 cervical, of which one joint 



* This bone, however, may have been referred to by Dr. Giinther, in 

 writing on the palate and its muscles, where he casually mentions " the 

 long styliform process of the pterygoid and ectopterygoid." (I. c. p. 600.) 



