318 ON THE AFFINITIES OF C^NOLESTES, 



■'(4) Marked resemblance to Antecliinomys and Sminthop- 

 sis skulls in size, shape, and delicate character of the bones ; 

 absence of strong crests or ridges." 



"(5) Palate long and narrow, similar to characteristic 

 Polyprotodont form, with long and narrow palatal vacuities.'" 

 "(G) Lower jaw very siiuilai- to Da.syiirus, Phascologale, 

 and especially to Antechinomvs and Sminthopsis in inHection 

 of angle, and propoitionate size of angle, condyle, and 

 coronoid. " 



"(7) Rudimentary pouch (Tliomas, after Tomes), as in 

 Phascologale and Marmosa." 



"(9) Pes non-syndactyl, as in Dasyures and opossiims." 

 "(10) Foot phmtigrade — resembles Phascologale in number 

 and position of pads, and short clawless hallux (Thomas)." 



While one or two of these characters may not, in them- 

 selves, have very much weight in determining affinities, most 

 of them are of great importance ; and the assemblage of these 

 iminerous Poly[)rotodoiit characters in one animal makes the 

 case so strong in favour of a Polyprotodont affinity, that 

 only the presence, on the other hand, of very strong Diproto- 

 dont characteristics would suffice to outweigh them. 



The more one goes into detail, however, the more striking 

 does the Polyprotodont affinity become ; and, in addition, to 

 the characters noted by Miss Dederer, the following others 

 may be mentioned. 



Unfortunately the soft parts are not known, but there 

 is reason to believe, from the structure of the bones, that the 

 arrangement of the nasal cartileges is much more typically 

 Polyprotodont than Diprotodont. The turbinal springs, as 

 in Polypi-otodonts from low down on the nasal wall. The 

 nasal Hoor is also, as in Polyprotodonts, a witler groove than 

 in Diprotodonts. Further, the arrangement of the palatine 

 processes of the premaxillse is also typically Polyprotodont. 



The structure of the tympanic region is, in every detail, 

 typically Polyprotodont, and quite unlike the condition in 

 any Diprotodonts. The tympanic bone is a slender ring, 



