1897.] ME. F. B. BEDDAED ON INTERCENTEA IN BIEDS. 469 



the last which is embraced by the iha and the pygostyle. There are 

 good-sized intercentra, increasing in size between the last sacral 

 and the first three of these. The last two free caudals have fused 

 hypocentra. 



^climophonis major has six such vertebrae. There is a minute 

 intercentrum between 1 and 2, and three larger intercentra 

 between the following ones. 



Heeodiostes. 



Among the Herodiones free intercentra are not at all general. 



In Dissura maguari I only found one lying between the 3rd and 

 4th free caudals. The skeleton, however, was incomplete, though 

 I feel sure that there were no intercentra iu front of this point. 



In Platalea Jewcorodia there are large intercentra between the 

 4th and the 5tli, and between the 5th and the last free caudals. 

 In PI. ajaja the last of these was alone present and partly fused 

 with the 6th vertebra. But one in front may have been lost, as 

 they are easily detachable. 



Ardea cinerea has no free intercentra, but three progressively 

 increasing hypocentra on the last three free vertebrae. Butorides 

 cyanurus has the same and, in addition, a minute free intercen- 

 trum. Cancroma has three intercentra, increasing in size from a 

 very minute nodule, and a single hypocentrum. 



In XenorhyneJius senegalensis I found no intercenti'a at aU ; in 

 X, australis there was a large flattened (compressed) intercentrum 

 between the last two free caudals ; this is in contact, but not 

 fused, \^'ith the hypocentra of the pygostyle. There are five free 

 caudals in Tantalus leueocephalus ; between the 2nd and 3rd and 

 the 3rd and 4th are free intercentra ; the 5th has a hypocentrum. 

 Scopus umhretta has no free intercentra ; the last two vertebrae 

 have hypocentra ^ 



Geues. 



Neither in the Cranes proper nor in Psophia, RhinocJietus, and 

 Eurypyga are there any free intercentra. But in Ghunga hur- 

 meisteri there are two pairs of small nodules of bone underlying 

 the small pygostyle, which are possibly the equivalents of those 

 structures. 



LlMICOL^. 



Contrary to what we find among the Grrues, the Limicolae have 

 constantly free intercentra. In Numenius femoralis there are 8 

 caudal vertebrae ; a minute nodule of bone lies between the centra 

 of the first two of these vertebrae, a slightly larger one between 

 the third and fourth, and a larger one still between the two follow- 

 ing. The remaining vertebrae have hypocentra. In Hcematopus 

 there are also three free intercentra. (Edicnemus grallarius has 



' In Balaniceps (Parker, "On the Osteology of Balmniceps," Tr. Zool. Soc. 



iv. p. 335) there is " a small distinct ' sesamoid ' bone lying between the 



second and third centrum." 



