670 DR. J. MURIE ON THE SKELETON OF TODTJS. [May 21, 



The temporal groove is very feebly impressed, as Eyton observes ; 

 and hence this and postfrontal prominence amplifies the cerebral 

 breadth. The bulging, hemispherical supraoccipital and equally 

 full squamo-mastoidal region, therefore, give both posterior and late- 

 ral magnitude of a kind different from that in the Alcedinidse. In 

 these last the squamal groove, lambdoidal definition and ridging, and 

 the less widely separate exoccipital impressions exhibit a character 

 which is deficient in the more rotund occiput of the Tody. 



The basiocciput and so-called basitemporal in Todus are relatively 

 short antero-posteriorly ; but, on the contrary, the bones spread well 

 out towards the tympanic fossa, giving breadth to the basal region. 

 Each quadrate bone is short-limbed, and, as in Halcyon and Ispidina, 

 descends little below the basal plane of the cranium ; but it differs 

 from them in so far that it does not laterally project beyond the 

 parieto-temporal facies. 



There are no basipterygoid processes. The pterygoid bars are 

 short, and meet each other at" a considerably wider angle than in 

 most of the Kingfisher tribe — a condition, as I have already pointed 

 out, approximating to what obtains among the Motmots. 



Regarding the ocular cavity (the truncate-wedge contour which 

 has already been spoken of), it possesses an uncommonly large inter- 

 orbital space. An osseous interorbital septum, in fact, is all but 

 absent. It may be a question whether the septal deficiency, and the 

 membranous rather than osseous character of the alisphenoids, &c, 

 do not denote juvescence in our bird. Still, in other respects, the 

 skeleton appears that of an adult ; and I am the more convinced that 

 this membranous condition is the natural one, as in Mr. Parker's 

 undoubtedly full-grown specimeu it is quite as notable as obtains in 

 Prof. Newton's. 



The postfrontal and zygomatic processes are short. 



The lachrymal bone, of an L-shape, has an upper widish truncate 

 limb, only a small portion of which is visible from the front, the greater 

 part of the bone resting wedged in between the prefrontal and pre- 

 ethmoid peninsulse. The lower limb is spongy at its root, and sends 

 out a narrow process, which lies upon the jugal, and acts as a kind 

 of fulcrum to it in the resilient movements of the beak. 



The mandible is precisely 1 inch long, 0-4 inch in transverse di- 

 ameter to the outer edges of the articular facets ; and the breadth of 

 the bone, measured at the posterior end of the symphysis, from one 

 external border to the other, is 0- 1 5 inch. Great flatness throughout 

 characterizes the mandible, the symphysial segment, as seen on side 

 view, being almost of the same depth as the rami. In this respect 

 it agrees most with Ispidina amongst such of the Kingfishers as have 

 come under my notice. The rami are thus bar-like, each laterally 

 very compressed, tolerably straight and slender. Of the articular 

 ends of the bone, I need but mention that the internal angular pro- 

 cess is relatively of goodly size, almost Passerine in length, shallow, 

 and narrow-pointed, the postarticular eminence unusually well pro- 

 nounced, though low and upturned. 



The symphysis is 032 long, widely scooped superiorly, this con- 



