PRIMORDIAL CRANIUM OF THE CAT 283 



malian cranium that knowledge of its development which is so 

 much desired. 



For the study of problems of the mammalian primordial 

 cranium, the domestic cat offers material possessing certain 

 advantages. In general, the proces.ses of chondrification pro- 

 ceed sufficiently slowly to permit of easy determination of the 

 origin of parts and of subsequent study of their individual his- 

 tories. Also, the cat among the domestic mammals has re- 

 mained standardized to a degree not exceeded, if equalled, by 

 any other, and is on this account of value for anatomical study. 

 Yet, notwithstanding these points in its favor, the house cat 

 has not been utilized for cranial study to the extent that might 

 be anticipated. There is at the present time no paper on the 

 development of the cranium as a whole and no extensive de- 

 scription of a single stage in the course of its development. Not 

 even Parker described the primordial cranium of the domestic 

 cat. The only investigation which attempts to deal with the 

 whole chondrocranium is that by Decker in which brief accounts 

 of two rather advanced stages are presented. Wincza's com- 

 munication discusses a number of questions, for the solution of 

 which cat material has been employed, but it does not include 

 all regions of the craniimi. This valuable paper is available to a 

 relatively small number of investigators since it was pubhshed 

 in the Polish language. 



\ATiat has been said in regard to cat for the study of the 

 whole chondrocranium does not apply in the case of investiga- 

 tions of special problems, although even in the latter case this 

 material has been used to a more hmited extent than might be 

 expected. Of the cranial regions usually recognized, the occipi- 

 tal in cat has received less attention than have the others. 

 The otic region is represented by a number of papers concerned 

 for the most part with late embryonic stages and adult condi- 

 tions. Among these, the pubhcations of Spence, Bondy, van 

 Kampen, and Denker have been consulted in the present work. 

 Wincza's paper deals especially with the ala temporalis and 

 carotid foramen; an article by Ai-ai includes the cat in a study 

 of the craniopharyngeal canal, and a paper by Wilhams deals 



