344 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE GENUS DINORNIS. 



alluding to the still more remarkable evidence of preservation noticed by Dr. Hector, 

 made mention of " a considerable portion of the skin, studded with the quill-parts of 

 the feathers, which are bifid as in the Emu : some of the feathers preserve a portion of 

 the web" (loc. cit. p. 51). 



I have been favoured by Mr. Allis with copies of the photographs exhibited by him 

 to the Linnean Society, in one of which the bone (fig. 1 of photograph) is described as 

 the " anterior limb of adult." All are referred to the Dinornis robustus, although in the 

 text (Proc. Linn. Soc. p. 52) this determination of the species is accepted with doubt. 

 " Dr. Gibson has carefully measured the leg-bones, and does not find them agree in all 

 respects with any described by Professor Owen, though the difference," Mr. Allis sug- 

 gests, " may possibly be only sexual " (ib. p. 52). Mr. Allis adds the following par- 

 ticular to the history of the finding of this series of bones given by Dr. Hector, viz., 

 "It appears that the skeleton was discovered by some persons who were on a 'pro- 

 specting ' expedition in search of gold, almost completely buried in a heap of sand, and 

 having beneath it the bones of four young ones." 



It does not appear that any portions of the egg-shell were obtained or noticed by the 

 finders. 



With the concurrence of Mr. Allis I wrote to the Council of the "Yorkshire Philo- 

 sophical Society," of which he is Honorary Secretary, requesting the loan for description 

 of certain parts of the skeleton, the discovery of which had been notified to me by 

 Dr. Hector; and I was favoured with the transmission of the skull (Pis. LV. & LVL), 

 the supposed ' anterior limb' or ' rudimentary wing-bone' (PI. LV. figs. 2, 3, 4), and the 

 portion of the foot, with the ligaments, tendons, and tegument. 



In the present communication I propose to describe the skull and so-called ' wing- 

 bone.' 



§ 3. Skull of Dinornis robustus, /rom Manuherikia. 



This is a little smaller than the one from 'Timaru,' the lower jaw being 7 inches in 

 length, as against 7 inches 6 lines; and this may be accounted for by difference of sex, 

 if not by the range of size of individuals of the same sex. The present skull, like the 

 rest of the skeleton, bears all the marks of mature age. 



It supplies the following deficiencies in the skull first described: — the paroccipital, 

 mastoid, and postfrontal processes ; the basisphenoid complete, with the pterapophyses ; 

 the presphenoid ; the prefrontals and anchylosed ossified parts of the olfactory capsules ; 

 the lacrymal, nasals, premaxillary entire to the tip, the maxillary, and malosquamosal 

 zygomatic arch of one side. 



The occipital condyle (PI. LVI. figs. 1 & 2, i) is of a full reniform figure, slightly 

 notched above, and with a shallow groove extending therefrom to the middle of its con- 

 vexity ; its breadth is 5^ lines, its height 3^ lines ; it is supported on a short pedicle, 

 contracting below as well as laterally, then quickly expanding to its attached base ; its 



