Miscellaneous. 335 
axis of the skull, of an acutely elliptical form and 9 millim. long. 
Posteriorly it is separated from the middle aperture by a narrow 
bridge of bone; above and in front it is bounded by a very narrow 
bone (part of the intermaxillary), and it does not reach the apex 
of the skull; in front of it there lies an equilaterally triangular 
piece of bone about 4 millim. long, which forms the tip of the beak. 
This aperture is to be regarded as the nostril ; it is entirely enclosed 
by the intermaxillary. Its discovery renders the resemblance to 
existing birds much closer than was previously supposed. As in 
the bird, there are three apertures on the side of the skull : —a poste- 
rior, the orbit; a middle one, enclosed by the lacrymal behind and by 
the maxillary and intermaxillary in front and below; and an ante- 
rior one, the nostril, entirely in the intermaxillary. 
This analogy with the skull of existing birds also essentially 
facilitates the study of the other parts of the skull. Thus the bony 
piece in the middle aperture will have to be regarded as the inner 
ascending part of the maxillary, and a long bone running to the 
base of the skull and partially concealed by the sclerotic ring as part 
of the vomer. ‘The quadrate bone is also distinctly visible, although 
its exact form is not recognizable ; and close in front of it there is 
a small bone, not projecting much from the matrix, which from its 
position may be the pterygoid. Of the roof of the skull scarcely any 
thing more than fragments of the frontals is preserved ; the brain- 
cavity is filled with cale-spar. The occiput is deficient. 
Results relating to the dentition were also obtained by the re- 
moval of the matrix. Two small denticles, situated under the 
middle opening, were previously visible. Afterwards ten teeth be- 
came distinctly recognizable, standing in the margin of the jaw. 
The foremost of these is at about 2 millim. from the tip of the 
beak ; but there are indications that one or two teeth existed in front 
of this, so that the dentition reached quite to the apex. The teeth 
are about 1 millim. long, sugarloaf-shaped, very acute, and appa- 
rently smooth and shining, without any vertical furrows or strie. 
The individual teeth are separated by intervals of scarcely 1 millim. 
Marsh (Joc. cet.) assumed that the teeth were only in the intermax- 
illary, as the last one was still below the nostril; but now that it 
is proved that the aperture hitherto regarded as the nostril is really 
the middle one of three apertures in the side of the skull, it seems 
rather that the dentition was not confined to the intermaxillary, 
but extended to the maxillary, at least its anterior part. Marsh 
has also expressed the opinion that the teeth stood in a groove; 
from the recent examination it would rather appear that each tooth 
stands in a separate alveolus. 
The lower jaw is retained in its natural position, 7. ¢. articulated 
with the quadrate bone, and with its upper margin closely applied 
to the skull. It shows a postarticular process directed backward, 
such as occurs, for example, in the genus Anser. From the posi-: 
tion of the lower jaw it cannot be seen whether it contains any 
teeth ; but this appears probable. Below the lower jaw there is a 
part of an acicular hyoid bone, similar to those of existing birds. 
The clearing of the shoulder-girdle, which is not yet completed, 
