1904.] MALAGASY BAT MYZOPODA AURITA. 3 



dier in 1878*, and further descriptions of the type specimen 

 were given by Dr. Dobson t, but in neither case was there any 

 account of the skull or skeleton, nor were any figures published 

 to illustrate its many peculiarities. It is therefore thought that 

 some figures of the animal, with an account of its osteological 

 characters, will be of service to students of the Ohiroptera. 



Of the external characters little further notice is necessary 

 beyond drawing attention to the figures given (PI. I.) of the ear 

 (fig. 1) and of the peculiar mushroom-shaped process (fig. 1 a) at 

 its outer base, an organ unknown in other Bats. 



I would, however, express my opinion that the " irregularly 

 square lobe in the usual position of the tragus or slightly in 

 front of it, continuous above with the keel of the ear-conch " 

 (Dobson), does actually represent the tragus of other Bats, 

 coalesced in this case with the inner base of the ear, an arrange- 

 ment unique within the Order. 



The penis is short, slender, pointed, and without a bone ; the glans 

 very slender, styliform, about 2 mm. in length, the opening of 

 the urethra at its base above ; the prepuce wrinkled and quite 

 naked externally, a very unusual chai'acter. 



The palate has a single undivided ridge, convex forwards, 

 running across between the anterior premolars, and six pairs of 

 divided ridges between the larger cheek-teeth (see PI. I. fig. 8). 



The skull is short, broad, smooth, and rounded, in a superficial 

 •view not unlike that of a Chilonycteris, though shorter-muzzled. 

 The brain-case is proportionally large, smooth, spherical, unridged, 

 not abnormally raised above the face-line. [N'asal notch shallow, 

 quite unlike the deep notch characteristic of the Vespertilionidse ; 

 but, unfortunately, the specimen is too old to show the nasal and 

 other sutures, so that the exact disposition of the bones cannot be 

 described. Premaxillje united between and in front of the rather 

 irregular palatine foramina, but not bearing teeth in the middle 

 line ; their structure and that of the anterior nares very similar 

 to what is found in Natalus. Posterior nares low from above 

 downwards, much obstructed by the large rounded keel of the 

 vomer, which is ankylosed to the palatine in the middle line ; 

 opening of nares narrowly U-shaped, the front edge of the opening 

 level with the front of m.^ Pterygoids narrow, divergent, ending 

 in long, curved, hamular processes. Two large circular basi- 

 sphenoid pits present, one on each side between the antero- 

 internal corner of the bulla and the back of the pterygoids ; their 

 dividing septum T-shaped in section, its buccal svirface broad, 

 smooth, and in level continuation with the mesopterygoid fossa 

 and the basioccipital, but narrowed upwards, where the floors of 

 the two pits approach each other closely. Bullae and cochleae of 

 medium dimensions. Basioccipital smooth and broad, quite filling 

 up the space between the bullae. 



* Bull. Soc. Philom. 1878, p. 220. 



t P. Z. S. 1878, p. 371. Report on accessions to Cliiroptera during 1878-1880, p, 23 : 

 British Association Reports, 1880. 



1* 



