22. SYNANCIDIITM. 145 



b. Adult: stuffed. Australia. From Mr. Macgillivray's Collection. 



c. Adult. Australia. Presented by Sir J. Richardson. 



d. e. Adult : stuffed. Por-t Essii^gton. — Original specimens of S>^- 



nanceia tracliynis, E-ichardson. 

 /. Adult. China. Presented by Sir J. Richardson. 

 g. Adult. India. Presented by General Hardwicke. 

 h. Adult : stuffed. St. Helena. 



i. Adult female : skeleton. From Mr. Frank's Collection. 

 1c. Adult. 

 /. Half- grown. 

 TO. Half- grown. 

 n. Intestines of ^ecimen ?'. 



Skeleton. — The skull exhibits the same peculiarity in general ap- 

 pearance as the head when covered -with the soft parts. Tlie bones 

 of the skull are very strong and sohd, many of the sutures being 

 obsolete. The maxillary is styliform, and slightly bent in its upper 

 part, dilated and spatuliform in its lower ; the intermaxillary lias a 

 broad flat prominence at the descending branch, which is longer than 

 the posterior process. There is a wide free space between the den- 

 tary and articular bones of the mandibula, and the former has a 

 deep ovate groove on its outer side. The vomer is anchor-shaped, 

 with the head broad and slightly excavated ; the palatine is broad, 

 flat, bifurcate posteriorly, to receive the pterygoid bone between the 

 two branches. The turbinal bones appear to be united with the 

 frontals. The prseorbital is very irregularly shajjed, having five im- 

 pressions and two strong spines pointing downwards. The middle 

 infraorbital bone is the narrowest, the posterior exceedingly strong, 

 with a very high prominence, and firmly joined to the prseoperculum. 

 The praeoperculum forms a strong bony arch with five spinous pro- 

 minences, the three lower of which are obtuse, whilst the tM^o upper 

 ones, corresponding to two ridges of the infraorbital, project con- 

 siderably. The operculum has the appearance of a trident, the spines 

 radiating from the basal joint. The suboperculum is attached to the 

 operculum by two processes, which receive the lower spine between 

 them. The interoperculum is veiy narrow and elongate. The an- 

 terior frontals are small, and firmly united to the principal frontals ; 

 the latter form the most prominent part of the skull : they are gable- 

 like, elevated above the surface of the skull ; on the top and the 

 anterior side they have irregular impressions, and diverge anteriorlj', 

 forming a deep longitudinal groove for the processes of the inter- 

 maxillary ; their posterior side descends abruptly, forming the anterior 

 portion of the saddle-like crown ; their orbital margin is more than a 

 semicircle. The bottom of the saddle-like cro^vn is flat, with a flight 

 ridge on each side. The paroccipital has a very high prominence, to 

 which is attached the suprascapula — a solid, subquadrangular bone 

 with irregular impressions ; there is a deep square groove beneath 

 the prominence. The scapula has a very strong spine. The humeral 

 arch is exceedingly firm, especially the cpracoid, whilst the radius 

 is relatively feeble. Each of the pubic bones is formed by two 



VOL. II. L 



