REPORT O'S THE SPHENISCID^. 8 



comparison of the anatomy of the species examined with that of Eudyptes chrysocome 

 from Tristan d'Acunha. By this means I trust I have made the most of the material 

 at my disposal, and although, as it turns out, the anatomy of one species, in its leading 

 features, to a large extent represents that of all, yet it must be remembered that this fact 

 could only be elicited by means of a somewhat tiresome and laborious investigation into 

 the anatomy of every member of the group. The satisfaction, moreover, remains that 

 the work undertaken has been accomplished once and for all, and that the time and labour 

 of other anatomists need not be expended in repeating the task. 



Among others who have assisted me in various ways, I have to acknowledge my 

 obligations more especially to Mr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S., for identifying several of the 

 species examined, and for placing at my disposal fresh specimens of various species of 

 Penguins which died from time to time in the menagerie of the Zoological Society. I am 

 also indebted to the kindness of Mr. W. Forbes, prosector to the Zoological Society, for 

 the brain of an Aptenodytes longirostris, which he kindly removed for me immediately 

 after the death of the bird. 



I.— OSTEOLOGY. 



The sahent and distinctive osteological features of the Penguins have long been known, 

 and numerous references to them are to be found in the systematic works of Cuvier,^ 

 Meckel,^ and Owen.^ In the article of the last-named author on the anatomy of birds, 

 in "Todd's Cyclopaedia of Anatomy"* especially, an excellent account is given of the 

 skeleton of the Penguin as compared with that of other birds. 



In 1835 Reid ^ published an elaborate account of the anatomy of the Patagonian 

 Penguin, in which, along with a consideration of the anatomy of the soft parts, he directs 

 special attention to the modifications in form of the various parts of the skeleton. 



In 1871 Hyatt ^ published a catalogue of the ornithological collection of the Boston 

 Society of Natural History, and communicated therein a number of important observations 

 made by Dr. EUiot Coues on the osteology of the various species of Penguin contained in 

 the collection of that society. 



In 1872 Dr. Elliot Coues ' published a monogi-aph on the Spheniscidse. In this mono- 

 graph he directed attention to the varying form of the cranium in the different genera of 

 Penguins, and pointed out the value of these differences in the determination of the 

 various genera. In the plate which accompanies the monograph he figures the skulls of 



' LeQons d'aiiatoniie comparee, vol. i. 



^ Traite general d'anatomie comparee, vol. iii. 



* Anatomy of VerteLrates, vol. ii. 



* Cyclop»dia of Auatcmy, vol. i., Art. " Aves." 

 = Proc. Zool. Soc, 18.35, p. 132. 



6 Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., 18T1, p. 237. 

 ' Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliilad., 1872, p. 170. 



