TIIIC OHTKOLOCY AND ItFJ;ATI()NSIIII'H OK TIIIO I'AMII.Y 



ZKID/K. 



\',y IOmwin ("maimn Siarks, 



/liolotjical Siirveji, Ihparhneul of AgniiiUiin: 



'V\n\ poHilioii of Mm- fwiiiily /cJdii- li;i\iii(; tx^eii no 1()M(^ in doubt, I 

 liiivu wi-iU<'>ii UiJH |)a|)<'j- iiH :iii :ittcni])t to |)oiiit ouf. itH rulatioiiKlii])>4, 

 2111(1 «',Hi)(M*,i;illy to (Icscr-ihc, itH o.sl<M)Io^icjii clisuiKitcrH jumI put lii« 

 rcHiiltH of my iiivcstigjitioiiH in huc.Ii hIiuix'. that tlic^y niiiy bo available 

 wImjii its allicH noaicr tlian tiicHO coiiHidcnMl hero Hhall bo stiidiod. 



NotwitliHtjindinj;' the- many cJiaractcrH in wliicli ZniH dKllcis (Voni tlic 

 Chii'todoniK, tln', <',ondilion oC tin', post t<',niporal, tiic, ciowdcd antorioi- 

 vortoliiii', and the inforior articiiiiilion of tlio ribs wliow its relation to 

 tlic.m; and its ndatioriHiiip to tiiat {^ronp is Ktill more, appairiit when 

 tlic, Olni-todontoid lislios arc HtiidicMJ as ;i wiiob;. 



'I'huH, the T(Mithoidie posHCHH the Hiinplo j)OHt-(davicle of Zcuh and 

 approacli it neaicr in having; the, poHttemporal more (irmly !ir(i(!nlat(5(l 

 to the, skill!, while the IOpliip|)idie have, no post<M ior opening? of th<^ 

 myodome t,o the (!,\t,erior. 



Tliouf^h Hhovviiif^ an alliance. (,o tlu; Sconibridii-, it, is certiiiniy innc/h 

 neiU'cr to tlu; (yiiii-todontidic. 



ZvjiH^ however, piesents some, icmarkabie peculiarities and Htan«lH 

 apart Ironi the (Jh;elodonl,oids in the absence/ of a basis|)lienoid, in the 

 peculiarly modified prefroiitalH, in the unmodified articulation of the 

 HknII with the \('itebr;c, in the jirianj;(Mne,nf, of tho HUHi)cnHoriuni, and 

 in the incieased number of vertobrie. 



It may b«', of interest to note, without attempting' anything like an 

 exiiaustive suivey, a few of the phices in which the family Zeid;i-, in 

 its relations to the ('liii-todontoiil (ishes, lias been phiced by dillerciit, 

 aiithorH. 



Swainson' has pla(M'<l iiis iar^e family /<*,id;e, whi<'h inehuleH many 

 diverse, iuid little, lidatiul forms, aftci- the Scombridie (arnui^cd in 

 descending- order), which are in a "tribe" apart from ( 'hietodontidic 



'/<•«/«; HwainHOii, Nul,. MiHt. l-'iMlif-H, ^^U',., ISIJit, II. |i. 17.'). 

 PR0CEEDINQ8 U. S. NATIONAL MUSLUM, VoL. XXI No. 1155. 



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