192 Dr. J. Murie on the Upupidae. 



including it and a rearward one partially anchylosed with the 

 ilia, 7 necessarily belong to the back. There appear to be 

 about 10 vertebral elements coalesced into the sacral piece, 

 and behind that 6 caudal vertebras. In this light the spinal 

 formula would be C. 12, D.-L. 7, S. 10, Cd. 6 = 35. 



Eyton tabulates 11, 8, 10, 6 to the same species. 



The anterior riblet is slender, styliform, - 2 inch long. The 

 2nd rib, with better-defined head and offshoot to transverse 

 process, has a length of 0-6 inch ; its apex free. The 3rd, 4th, 

 oth, and 6th costee bear median recurrent processes. These 

 are wanting in the 7th and 8th, the latter rib being very 

 slender and shorter than that which precedes. 3rd to 7th 

 ribs have a sternal union ; midway between the recurrent and 

 transverse processes the same ribs broaden out considerably. 



I may specially call attention to the great length of the 

 slender pubic rod, and to the terminal tail-vertebra, the spi- 

 nous process of which is very high and tapering. 



The quadrate bone is also worthy of note ; the limbs only 

 moderate as to length. The upper articular or tympanic 

 limb is distinguished by being longitudinally deeply guttered 

 on its external border, a condition by no means of common 

 occurrence. The lower articular or mandibular superficies, 

 as more ordinarily is the case, presents three condylar 

 knuckles ; these, however, are nearly on the same plane, or 

 with only very shallow sulci indeed between. Thus the 

 two outer are in a manner fused together and form a back- 

 ward scroll, while the single inner is laterally compressed and 

 very narrow towards its junction with fellows. 



The tongue-bone or hyoid comprises its usual avine ele- 

 ments. The arrow-headed or ^-shaped tongue-pieces apically 

 are cartilaginous; the posterior terminal forks osseous. The 

 middle continuous piece (glosso-, basi-, and urohyals) has a 

 long tapering dagger-outline slightly expanded and indented 

 for the articulation of the posterior side rods (ceratohyals) . 

 What markedly denotes the hyoid of U. epops from that of 

 U. minor is not only a relative elongation of the median seg- 

 ments, but its anterior end tapers, whereas in the latter it is 

 more expanded and cleft (compare figs. 61, 62, PI. VII.). 



