456 ALLIS. [VoL. XIV. 
process of the bone of man is the antorbital bone of Amia 
fused either with the maxillary or premaxillary of that fish. 
The so-called vomer (VO) of Amia is found as two separate 
bones, one on each side of the head, instead of as a single 
median one, as in most fishes (No. 7, p. 610; No. 35, p. 186). 
In the specimen examined by Bridge the anterior thirds of the 
two bones are said to have been suturally united with each 
other. The dorsal surface of the anterior end of each bone 
rests against the ventral surface of the anterior, alveolar por- 
tion of the premaxillary, and adheres closely to that surface, as 
already stated. Posterior to this portion of the premaxillary 
the vomer lies ventral to the anterior, articular end of the maxil- 
lary, then against the ventral surface of the septomaxillary, and, 
towards its posterior end, against the ventral surface of the 
anterior portion of the parasphenoid. Between the anterior 
ends of the two bones a small part of the anterior end of the 
chondrocranium is exposed on the ventral surface of the 
skull. 
These relations of the vomers of Amia to the premaxillary 
and maxillary bones thus seem to indicate that their homologues 
should be looked for in some part of the palate plate of the 
superior maxillary bone of higher vertebrates, and not in the 
vomer bone. That a bone that lies ventral to the horizontal 
part of the maxillary in one vertebrate should lie dorsal to it 
in others seems improbable. 
In Polypterus there are, as already stated, two bones which, 
together, are considered by Traquair as the homologue not only 
of the vomer bone of other fishes, but also of those of all other 
vertebrates. They are said by him to have been considered by 
Agassiz as parts of the superior maxillary bones, and by Miiller 
as parts of the palate bones. Van Wijhe (No. 47) and Pollard 
(No. 30) both accept Traquair’s identification of these bones, 
and hence the necessary consequence that there is no separate 
dermo-palatine in Polypterus. In van Wijhe’s opinion (No. 47, 
p. 253), the latter bone is fused with the ectopterygoid, and 
forms the anterior end of the bone sonamed. This conclusion 
is based on the supposition that the dermal component of a 
bone must always be found in close relation to its cartilage 
