1890.] 



ON THE STRUCTURE OF PSOPHIA. 



329 



2. On the Structure of Psophia and on its Relations to 

 other Birds. By Frank E. Beddard, M.A., &c., Pro- 

 sector to the Society. 



[Eeceived March 26, 1890.] 



So far as I am aware there has been no paper especially devoted 

 to the general anatomy of Psophia ever published, although manvlof 

 the facts in its structure have been described incidentally in other 

 papers. The following observations refer to the principal osteo- 

 logical and some other characters, of which a few are mentioned 

 here for the first time. 



The principal account of its skeleton is to be found in Burmeister's 

 work upon Cariama \ and in Parker's memoir of the osteology of 

 Rhinochetus ^. 



The skeleton and some of the separate bones (pelvis, sternum, &c.) 

 are figured and described in Eyton's ' Osteologia Avium'; the 

 skeleton of P«. crepitans is also figured by Meyer in his 'Abbild- 

 ungen Vogel-Skelet.* pi. Ixxvi. 



I have had the opportunity of studying both Psophia crepitans 

 and Psophia leucoptera. It may not therefore be out of place to 

 point out some of the differences which appear to distinguish these 

 two species from each other. The difference in the proportions of 

 the two lobes of the liver is remarkable ; I have a MS. note in the 

 handwriting of Prof. Garrod which shows that Psophia viridis, a 

 species which I have not myself examined, agrees in this particular 

 with Ps. leucoptera. 



With regard to specific differences the following table shows all 

 that I have been able to ascertain : — 



Psophia leucoptera... 



Psophia crepitans . . . 



Skull. 



Palatine bones 

 with longer inner 

 lamina ; space 

 between post- 

 frontal and zy- 

 gomatic process 

 wide. 



Palatine bones 

 with very short 

 inner lamina ; 

 space between 

 postfrontal and 

 zygomatic pro- 

 cess narrow. 



Liver- 

 lobes. 



L<R 



L>E 



Vertebral column. 



Vertebrte Nos. 

 19-22 fused, fol- 

 lowed by three 

 free vertebras. 



Vevtebrfe Nos. 

 19-22 fused, fol- 

 lowed by two free 

 vertebra;. 



Ribs. 



1 pair cerv. 

 ribs; 8 attached 

 to sternum (of 

 these 2-6 with 

 uncinate pro- 

 cesses) ; 1 pair 

 of lumbar ribs. 



1 pair cerv. 

 ribs; 8 attached 

 to sternum (of 

 these 2-7 with 

 uncinate pro- 

 cesses) ; a tiny 

 rudiment of a i 

 10th rib. 



^ " Beitrage zur Naturgeschichte des Seriema," Abhandl. nat. Ges. Halle, 

 Bd. i. p. 11 (1853). 



- " On the Osteology of the Kagu {Ehinochetus jubatus)," Trans. Zool. Soc. 

 vol. vi. p. 501 (1886). 



