668 DR. J. MURIE ON THE SKELETON OF TODL'S. [May 21, 



plate send forwards an external and an iuternal spicule. The former 

 narrow bony bar passes over the under surface of the lachrymal, 

 maxillary, and maxillo-palatine enlargement, and, widening in its 

 course, reaches and becomes anchylosed with the prsemaxilla. The 

 latter internal spicule passes onwards parallel with the outer one, 

 and proceeds to the mesial edge of the maxillo-palatine bone. It is 

 truly osseous to opposite the lachrymal, and is continued by ligamen- 

 tous or tendinous material, which bears close resemblance to bone in 

 its dried condition. Thus a long oval gap is left between the antero- 

 external and internal palatal processes. The maxillo-palatines are 

 spongy, and of fair size. They approach close to one another, but do 

 not meet in the middle line — a narrow fissure separating them, floored 

 by the osseous nasal septum. The mesial groove shallows forwards, 

 but is continued quite to the apex of the beak. 



Fortunately for me, the base of the skull which I received from 

 Prof. Newton had the dried membranous structures in part remaining; 

 and on moistening and clearing off these, I gained insight respecting 

 the fresh condition of the soft tissues &c. occupying the inferior 

 palatal region. A membrane filled up the oval gap betwixt the an- 

 terior palatal processes ; and a thin pellicle of the same partially 

 extended over the inferior hollow of each maxillary, and connected 

 the outer edge of the external palatal process with the exterior 

 border of the prEemaxilla. 



On slightly depressing and elevating the beak, or simulating its 

 probable natural movements in life, I observed that in the latter 

 action the lips of the posterior nares approximated and all but closed 

 the fissure, the side parts, meanwhile, being kept tense. The beak's 

 depression produced the reverse, membranes and elastic osseous rods 

 equally springing outwards so as to open elliptically the post-narial 

 fissure. 



During the latter action two rod-like tendons come into view, simu- 

 lating the bifid vomer of the Woodpeckers ; and there is also a deeper 

 median muscular bundle, besides large palatine nerves, which fill the 

 fissure betwixt the maxillo-palatines and thence run forwards. These 

 tendino-muscular slips arise from the incurved margin of the palate- 

 bones, or what may correspond to the vomeric crest of human ana- 

 tomy, and are inserted into the maxillo-palatines. They evidently 

 are the homologues of the levator and circumflex or tensor palati 

 muscles. The above arrangement is interesting ; for it explains to 

 me an incongruity in Prof. Huxley's account of the palate of the 

 Picidse. The pair of anterior ossicles described by him correspond 

 to the tendinous rods in Todus, external to which in both forms 

 are oval spaces, otherwise bony plates in most of the Coccygo- 

 morphse. 



Todus, in the contraction and rod-like character of the anterior 

 portion of its horizontal palatal plates, and in the large oval spaces, 

 differs from the Alcedinidse, the Momotidse, the Meropidse, the Gal- 

 bulidse, and the Upupidse, and contrariwise, in the said respects, assi- 

 milates to the structure found in the Muscicapidse and some others 

 of the Coracomovphse. Among the above I believe the genus Eumo- 



