382 Mr. C. W. Andrews on the Skull, 



alveolar surface about 10 mm. wide, narrowing towards the 

 anterior end. The outer surface of each mandibular ramus 

 is deeply grooved for about its middle third. 



The dimensions of the skull and mandible are : — 



mm. 



Length of basis cranii 36 



AYidth at paroccipital processes 7G 



Width at squamosal 76 



Greatest width at temporal fossa 60 



Least width between temporal ridges 60 



Width at postorbital processes 86 



Height of cranium (approx.) 65 



Distance between optic foramina 9 



Length of mandible (approx.) 170 



Width of articular end 29 



The incompleteness of the specimens here described renders 

 detailed comparison with the skull of the other Ratitse im- 

 possible at present, since many of the most important 

 characters are to be found in the palatal and facial regions, 

 which are entirely wanting in these fossils. Nevertheless, 

 it will be seen that in several respects yEpyornis approaches 

 the Dinornithidae in the structure of its skull. Among the 

 points of resemblance are the pedunculate occipital condyle, 

 the prominent basi-temporal platform, the open Eustachian 

 groove, the structure of the facet for the quadrate, and the 

 presence of a frontal crest of large feathers (as in some of 

 the Dinornithidae). 



The Sternum (Plate IX. figs. 1 & 2). 

 A nearly complete specimen of the sternum, in which only 

 a portion of the antero-external region on the right side is 

 wanting'^, shows that this bone was truly ''ratite/^ and was 

 of a very remarkable and characteristic shape. Its most 

 striking peculiarity is its extreme shortness compared with 

 its width, its length in the middle line being only about 

 a fifth of its width at the antero-lateral processes. At 

 first sight it may appear that this shortening is due to the 

 breaking away of some of the thin posterior region, but 



* This fragment has since been found, so that the sternum is now 

 complt'te. 



