43() PROF. HUXLKV ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS. [Apr. 11, 



The maxillo-palatiiies are united across the middle line, either 

 directly or by the intermediation of ossifications in the nasal 

 septum. 



The posterior ends of the palatines and the anterior ends of the 

 pterygoids articulate directly with the rostrum, as in the preceding 

 division. ,, . 



The desmognathous skull appears under its simplest form in 

 Palamedea and the Lamellirostres. In these birds each maxillo- 

 palatine is a broad, flat, and thin bony plate, which unites with its 

 iellow in the middle line of the palate. The septum may be more 



Fig. 18. 



Querq^(cdula crecca. 

 Side and inferior views of the skull and mandible. The letters as before. 



