24 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XIX, 



there is a moderate longitudinal excavation, which appears 

 to be partially filled by the remains of a distinct bone (Fig. 

 14, na.). These two bones appear to have overlapped the 

 anterior ends of the frontals and to have met in the midline. 

 They are probably the nasals. 



The supposed nasals on the upper side and the supposed 

 "lateral ethmoids" on the lower side are separated by right 

 and left ridges of bone which evidently form a part of the 

 ethmoid. These are continued forward to the tip of the 

 beak and form the boundary lines which separate the convex 

 lower surface of the beak from the flatter upper surface. As 

 these ridges pass forward they descend on the sides of the beak, 

 until at its tip they meet at the level of the lower surface. The 

 convexity of the upper surface increases as we move toward 

 the tip of the beak and that of the lower surface diminishes, 

 until at length, 15 mm. behind the tip, the upper surface 

 becomes more convex than the lower. In Figure 14 are pre- 

 sented cross-sections of the beak at three points. The outline 

 figure above the sections represents a longitudinal section at 

 the end of the beak. 



The specimen was found in the Niobrara deposits of Gove 

 County, Kansas. It seems not unlikely that it represents a 

 distinct genus. 



Protosphyraena gladius {Cope). 



Portheus gladius Cope (E. D.), Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1873, p. 

 337; Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geog. Surv. Terrs. I, No. 2, 1874, p. 40. 



Pelecopterns gladius Cope (E. D.), Vert. Cret. Form. West, 1875, pp. 

 244E, 273, pi. xliv, fig. 12; pi. Hi. fig. 3. — -LooMis (F. B.), Palae- 

 ontogr. XLVI, 1900, p. 221, text figure 3, tail. 



ProtosphyrcEua gladius Hay (O. P.), Bibliog. Cat. Foss. Vert. N. A. 

 1902, p. 379. 



The type of this species is now in the American Museum of 

 Natural History, and bears the number 1849. It measures 

 728 mm. in length, Prof. Cope's statement making it equal 

 to 31 inches being slightly erroneous. In his description of 

 the specimen Cope says that Prof. Mudge, the collector, re- 



