BY DR. R. W. STICFELDT, C.M.Z S. ]01 



consequently ornithcrhynchine osteology in his hands was 

 duly stamped thereby. Nearly all the illustrations of these 

 curious mammals were prepared by zoological draughtsmen, 

 who, in many instances, knew little or nothing of osteology; 

 the consequence was that this deficiency was reflected, to a 

 greater or less extent, in their work. So far as my knowledge 

 carries me, little or nothing has bsen done photographically 

 with monotreme osteology; so the illustrations to the present 

 paper should be especially acceptable to mammalian anato- 

 mists. 



There is one prominent e?^ception to this statement, 

 however, and it is to be found in the admirable memoir by 

 Dr. D. M. S. Watson on "The Monotreme Skull, a Contribu- 

 *'tion to Mammalian Morphogenesis." {Phil. Trans. Ser. B., 

 Vol. 207, March, 1916.) 



Among the earliest works we have for consultation on 

 the skeietclogy of this order of mammals, is the famous 

 monograph by Dr. E. d'Alton, with its royal quarto plates 

 and text matter. (3) About seventeen years after the ap- 

 pearance of this work, there was published in the third 

 volume (1841) of The Encyclopaedia of Anatomy and Physio- 

 logy (1839-1847), pp. 366-407, Figs. 168-202, the extensive 

 article by Owen on the Monotremata, in which he brought 

 all the then known facts about the group up to date. In 

 1866, in his Coinparative Anatomy and Physiology of Verte- 

 brates (Vol. II., pp. 312-328), he included the revised account 

 of the osteology of the Monotremes. We meet with various 

 other contributions by the same author; but as they refer 

 to other systems of anatomy of these animals, as well as to 

 special organs and parts, and not to the skeleton, they need 

 not be cited here. 



Under the article Mammalia, Platypus and Echidna in 

 the Ninth Edition of the Encyclopsedia Britannica, Sir Wil- 

 liam Henry Flower sums up a large part of cur knowledge 

 of these animals (1883) ; while with respect to their skele- 

 tons, we find more detailed accounts in his Osteology of the 

 Mammalia (3d. Ed., 1885). 



(3) D'ALTON, E., DR.— "Die Skelete der Zahnlcsen Thiere," abge- 

 bildet und verglichen. Bonn, 1824 (In Commission bei Eduard 

 Weber). Pt. I., No. 8. Vorredc and Einleitung occupies 4 pp. of 

 text. Allgemcine Verylrichnvf/en des Skeletes der Zahnloscn Tiere, 

 pp. 4-10; p. 11, Description of Plates. Plate I., Skeleton: side view 

 oi' Ornithorhynchus, nat. size. (Fairly good). II.: Bones of same 

 and an oblique view of the skeleton. Skull to front. Right side 

 shown. III. : Lateral view of skeleton of Echidnr, IV. : Skull and 

 other bones of Echidna. 21 figs. Large lithographic plates, and 

 very good for the time. See also the celebrated work of 



MECKEL. — Ornithorhynchi paradoxi Descriptio Ayiatomica; Fol. 1826. 



