PEOFESSOE OWEN ON CNEMIOENIS. 259 



skulls of the Common Goose, and is exceptionally obliterated in Plectoptenis gamhianus, 

 as it is in Cereopsis. 



The hind part of the bony palate is emarginate in Cnemiornis (PI. XXXV. fig. 4), but 

 less deeply than in Cereopsis (ib. fig. 9) ; its outer angles extend backward and upward, 

 internal to the palatines, and are continued into the swollen pneumatic or " antral " 

 ends of the maxillaries, the outer wall of which is cribriform, or reticulate, in Cnemiornis 

 (ib. fig. 10, 21*). The anterior, horizontally lamellate, ends of the palatines (fig. 4, 20) 

 coalesce with the maxillaries (ib. ib. 21) between the " antero-palatal " plates and the 

 angle to which the expanded end of the jugal style (ib. fig. 7, 26) is attached. 



From these attachments the palatines (20), retrograding, lose transverse and gain 

 vertical extent, and this suddenly at their hind ends, from the upper and inner side 

 of which a "nasal lamella" extends inward and forward to meet its fellow, and cir- 

 cumscribe there the palato-naris (ib. figs. 4 & 9,/). A ridge along the inner side of 

 the free part of the palatine (ib. ib. 20') seems to mark the inner boundary of the 

 palatal surface ; below this the " nasal " plate extends, with a concave surface next the 

 meatus, to the terminal expansion ; the outer surface is smooth and convex. 



The bony palate anterior to the vacuity (fig. 4, 13) is divided into three longitudinal 

 channels, of which the median one is deepest ; but all gradually shallow to the common 

 palatal level close to the broad terminal alveolar or rostral border. 



From the conformity with Cereopsis of the articular cups for the bicondylar head 

 of the tympanic, we may infer a similarity of that bone in Cnemiornis; and a like 

 conformity of the pterapophyses (ib. figs. 4 & 9, 5') supports the same inference in 

 regard to the pterygoids, and strengthens that in regard to the tympanic. Both 

 these skull-bones are wanting in my specimens of Cnemiornis, as in that of Dr. Hector. 



The mandible of Cnemiornis shows the lamellirostral character of the ectocoronoid 

 articular process (ib. figs. 1, 5, g). The ordinary coronoid (ib. q) is higher than 

 in Cereopsis (ib. fig. 6, q), and has an angular form. The alveolar border of the 

 dentary between the coronoid and the punctate symphysial end is smooth, rather 

 swollen, and, as it were, bent over to the outer side of the mandible, where it over- 

 hangs the more depressed lower part of that surface. This is relatively deeper than 

 in Cereopsis, the whole mandible being deeper and broader in proportion to its length, 

 and with the fore end more squarely terminated. 



The articular channels (fig. 5, w, x) for the tympanic are divided or defined by a 

 longitudinal ridge, as in Cereopsis. The outer groove (w) is partly supported by 

 an ectarticular process ; the inner one {x) by a longer entarticular process, which bends 

 upwards and terminates in a swollen apex. The angular process (so) is relati^'ely shorter 

 and deeper in Cnemiornis than in Cereopsis and Anserines generally. The oblique 

 sutm-e between the subangular (29) and dentary (32) is traceable in Cnemiornis as in 

 most other Lamellirostrals. In the transverse joint between the nasal base of the upper 



