﻿42 
  

  

  Mr. 
  R. 
  Lydekker 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  bird 
  in 
  question. 
  Beyond 
  tlie 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  typical 
  mandible, 
  

   this 
  memoir 
  was 
  unfortunately 
  not 
  illustrated, 
  and 
  the 
  author 
  

   made 
  no 
  attempt 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  systematic 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  

   newly 
  discovered 
  bird. 
  

  

  Lateral 
  aud 
  inferior 
  views 
  of 
  the 
  front 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  mandible 
  of 
  

   Phororhacos 
  longissimus. 
  ^ 
  nat. 
  size. 
  

  

  The 
  want 
  of 
  illustration 
  in 
  Prof. 
  Ameghino's 
  memoir 
  was 
  

   fully 
  remedied 
  by 
  the 
  folio 
  work 
  of 
  Senores 
  Moreno 
  and 
  

   Mercerat, 
  which 
  contains 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  finely 
  engraved 
  

   plates 
  fully 
  illustrating 
  the 
  osteology 
  of 
  the 
  limbs 
  of 
  these 
  

   giant 
  birds. 
  The 
  remains 
  were 
  referred 
  by 
  these 
  authors 
  to 
  

   no 
  less 
  than 
  nine 
  distinct 
  genera, 
  under 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  

   Phororhacos, 
  Brontornis, 
  Palmociconia, 
  Mesembriorms, 
  Stere- 
  

   ornis, 
  Patagornis, 
  Dryornis, 
  Darwinornis, 
  and 
  Rostrornis. 
  

   And 
  here 
  I 
  may 
  remark 
  that 
  the 
  barbarism 
  of 
  such 
  terms 
  as 
  

   Darwinornis 
  and 
  Oivenornis 
  is 
  only 
  paralleled 
  by 
  th.e 
  bi- 
  

   lingual 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  Rostrornis. 
  The 
  authors 
  of 
  this 
  

   memoir 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  these 
  birds 
  belong 
  to 
  

   a 
  totally 
  distinct 
  primary 
  group, 
  of 
  equal 
  rank 
  with 
  the 
  

   Ratitae 
  and 
  Carinatse, 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  name 
  Stereornithes 
  was 
  

   suggested. 
  No 
  characters 
  of 
  sufficient 
  importance 
  to 
  justify 
  

  

  