236 DR. ST. GEORGE MIVART ON THE [Feb. 4, 
back like those of a Seal, I found great difficulty, from the confor- 
mation of the skeleton, in comprehending how this could be 
effected. Mr. Snow writes me that “the hind flippers, when 
the Otter is travelling on shore, are brought under the body, but 
doubled up backwards, somewhat after the manner of the rough 
sketch enclosed, which, I may mention, has been drawn by a friend 
—who never has seen a Sea-Otter—from wy description. This 
sketch [which forms the basis of the figure, p. 235] fairly repre- 
sents the animal, but the hind quarters are not quite correct. 
«The human hand will serve as a good illustration of the hind 
flippers of the Otter, the under part of the flipper corresponding 
to the palm of the hand. Imagine a hand, the fingers united by a 
thin web, the whole surface on both sides, with the exception of 
five small, black, naked spots on the balls of the finger, covered 
with hair. The Otter apparently has little or no muscular power 
in the finger part of its flippers, and when attempting to walk, or 
rather jump, along on shore, this part is doubled under the portion 
corresponding to the knuckles of the hand.” 
7. On the Hyoid Bones of Nestor meridionalis and Nanodes 
discolor. By St. Grorcr Mivarr, M.D., F.R.S. 
[Received January 15, 1896.] 
In a paper read* before the Zoological Society on March 5th 
last, I described the structure of the hyoids of certain Lories, and 
compared them with that of Psitéacus ertthacus and that of Stringops 
habroptilus. 
Therein I called attention to the processes which I named 
parahyal processes, and which, so far as I have been able to 
ascertain, seem peculiar to the Psrvract. I pointed out that the 
three genera of Lories described and figured, namely, Los, Lorius, 
and Yrichoylossus, differed from other Parrots in having these 
parahyal processes much prolonged and distally united, each pair 
forming a singularly delicate osseous structure which 1 termed the 
parahyal arch. 
Subsequently, when considering the form of the tongue, I 
thought it would be very interesting to ascertain whether the two 
genera, the prolonged lingual papille of which have a certain 
resemblance to those of the Loriipa, did, or did not, also possess 
a parahyal arch. 
This question, through the kindness of Mr. F. E. Beddard, 
F.R.S., I have lately been able to determine by examining the 
hyoid structure of Nestor meridionalis and Nanodes discolor. 
In the hyoid of Nestor, the basihyal (6, fig. 1, p. 237) is long and 
narrow, much as in the genera of Lorimp# before described. The 
upper end of its anterior articular surface does not project so much 
preaxiad as does its ventral lip. The latter is narrow and pointed, 
? See P. Z. 8. 1895, pp. 162-174, figs. 1 to 6. 
iin 
