44 NEORNITHES RATITAE chap. 



sense ; but it should be noted that their systematic position was not 

 by any means assured, though justified by what was then known 

 of these extraordinary fossils, of which tlie sternum has not even 

 yet been brought to light. Eemains of various forms, chiefly of 

 wicrantic size, have been disinterred from the Miocene strata of 

 Santa Cruz in Patagonia, one of which (Fhororhachos) was described 

 in 1887, by Dr. Ameghino,^ from its mandible as an Edentate 

 Mammal, though four years later ^ he arrived at the more correct 

 conclusicm that the jaw was to be referred to a bird. In 1891, 

 moreover, Sehores Moreno and Mercerat ^ proposed a new Order 

 with the name of Stereornitlies, when publishing a series of line 

 plates ; while Dr. Aineghino, who criticised their work, reduced 

 the nine genera created therein to the smaller number of three.^ 

 Another paper by the author last named,^ and two by Mr. 

 Lydekker '' should be consulted by those interested in tlie details 

 of the subject, while an admirable sunnnary will be found in 

 Professor Newton's Dictionary of Birds. In a review of Dr. 

 Ameghino's paper on these birds,' Mr. C. W. Andrews stated that 

 Pliororhaehos and others of the " Stereornitlies " were not truly 

 Eatite, but were Carinate forms in wliich the wings had under- 

 gone reduction, and suggested that possibly they were related to 

 the parent stock of the (Truiformes, approximating particularly 

 to Cariamd {Dicliolojjhvs). Shortly afterwards Dr. Ameghino's 

 collection was acquired by the British Museum, and a study of 

 the specimens themselves has not caused the reviewer to change 

 his opinion.*^ Some members of the group (e.g. Mesemhriornis) 

 are perhaps truly Eatite, and one at least {Dryornis) belongs to 

 the CatJiartidac. Phororhaclios is remarkable for the immense 

 size and heavy build of the skull, to which the legs, huge though 

 they sometimes are, bear no proportion ; the maxilla is exceed- 

 ingly compressed, yet very deep, and ends in a strong hook, while 

 the long massive mandible curves upwards to meet it. There is 

 a quite or nearly complete interorbital septum in this case, as 

 opposed to Apteryx, and, to a considerable extent, to the Dinorni- 



1 Bol. Mus. La Plata, i. 1887, p. 24. '- Rcvist. Argent, i. 1891, p. 255. 



3 An. Mils. La Plata, Pal. Argent, i. 1891, j.p. 20, 37. 



* Rcvist. Argent, i. 1891, pp. 441-453. 



^ Bol. Inst. Gcogr. Argent, xv. 1895, pp. 11, 12. 



« Ibis, 1893, pp. 40-47 ; and Nat. Sci. 1894, p. 125. 



^ Ibis, 1896, pp. 1-12 ; see also Gadow, oja cit. pp. 586, 587. 



" Science Progress, v. 1896, pp. 398-416. 



