Mr. F. E. Beddard on Photodilus badius. 301 



about half the length of those which follow and of a rather 

 different shape. The second rib also appears to me to show 

 a very faint trace of an uncinate process. 



In Strix flammea, on the contrary, the first rudimentary 

 rib, that on the thirteenth vertebra, although extremely short, 

 has both a capitular and tubercular head ; the uncinate pro- 

 cesses appear to commence with the fourth rib; but I 

 should not like to be positive about the latter point. 



In both these types the upper extremity of the last rib 

 is complete, and that of the penultimate rib is partially 

 covered by the extension forwards of the ilium. 



In Bubo maximus the third rib has uncinate processes, 

 and there is (on one side) a minute trace of a ninth rib ; the 

 eighth rib is attached very nearly at the end of the seventh ; 

 the last two ribs are very completely covered at their 

 vertebral attachment by the ilium. 



In Ketupa javanensis both the twelfth and thirteenth 

 vertebrae are furnished with rudimentary ribs, only attached to 

 the transverse processes. It is possible that in this case as in 

 others the main tubercular fragment is hardly ossified : 

 the penultimate rib is hardly covered by the ilium. In other 

 respects there are no differences from other Owls. 



Of the dorsal vertebra of Photodilus the last three have 

 no hypapophysis. In this respect it agrees with Strix ; but 

 this fact appears to be of no moment in classification, for 

 Syrnium aluco, Bubo, and Athene noctua have the same 

 characters, while in Ketupa javanensis there are only two 

 dorsal vertebrae thus unprovided with hypapophyses. 



The Pelvis. — The conformation of this bone has been de- 

 scribed by Milne-Edwards, who has figured it in two views ; the 

 following is his account of the bone (op. cit. p. 192): — "Le 

 bassin est beaucoup plus raccourci que celui des Effraies, et 

 par ce caractere il se rapproche un peu de celui des Cheveches, 

 des Ciccaba et des Nyctales ; les proportions relatives de la 

 portion praecotyloVdienne et de la portion postcotyloi'dienne 

 sont a peu pres les memes que chez ces oiseaux, tandis que 

 chez les Otus les fosses iliaques sont notablement plus longues 

 mais moins elargies. L'ecusson pelvien est aplati comme 



