Sternum, and Shoulder-Girdle of Mpjorms. 377 



imperfect mandibles, some coraco-scapulse, a nearly perfect 

 sternum, and some small bones which I regard as the rudi- 

 mentary humeri, has recently been sent to England by 

 Dr. Forsyth Major. All these specimens were obtained in 

 Central Madagascar, and, although many of them leave much 

 to be desired in the matter of completeness, a short descrip- 

 tion of them, with figures, may be welcome, since, except 

 what can be gathered from the brief description of the 

 skull, mandible, and shoulder-girdle of ^. mulleri given 

 by Milne-Edwards and Grandidier^, nothing is known of 

 these important portions of the skeleton in any member of 

 the genus. A somewhat more detailed account f by the 

 same authors of the skull and skeleton of Mullerornis shows 

 that it differs considerably from jEpyornis, and in many 

 points approaches Casuarius. In some respects, however, 

 u:Epyornis also resembles Casuarius, a fact long ago pointed 

 out by Milne-Edwards and Grandidier, 



The Skull and Mandible (see Plate VIII.). 



The collection includes two specimens of the cranial 

 portion of the skull, both unfortunately somewhat imperfect, 

 a large part of the united premaxillse of another individual, 

 and two imperfect mandibles. All these probably, the two 

 crania certainly, belong to the same species, but what tliat 

 species is cannot be determined. Dr. Major, on his labels, 

 suggests that it may be JE. hildehrandti, and very possibly 

 he is right ; but in view of the confusion that has arisen in 

 the case of the Dinornithidse, through the conjectural 

 reference of isolated bones to the various species, it seems 

 best to leave the specific name of these remains undetermined, 

 until the discovery of associated sets of bones renders it 

 possible to settle the question finally. 



In the following account of the skull the terms employed 



* " Observations sur les uEpyornis de Madagascar," Comptes Rendus 

 Acad. Sci. t. cxviii. 1894, p. 122. 



t " Sur des Ossemeuts d'Oiseaux provenant des Terrains R^cents de 

 Madagascar," Bull. Mus. Ilist. Nat. pt. i. (1895), p. 9. 



