No. 2.] SHUFELDT ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF LANIID^. 353 



its usual site, above the foramen magnum behind ; but we have never 

 observed the foramina, caused by bone thinning, to occur on either side 

 of it. In removing the cranial vault, we find the various fossae unusually 

 well defined, and bounded by sharp borders ; the carotids enter by 

 separate openings at the base of the "sella turcica," which latter has a 

 deep notch, mesiad, in its posterior wall. 



In the recent cranium, the internal and external tables are separated 

 by an interspace of a millimeter or more, that is sparsely filled in by 

 diploic tissue 5 but upon examining skulls that have been kept for a 

 long time, and consequently become thoroughly dried, we cannot 

 distinguish between the two tablets; the diploic tissue has entirely 

 disappeared, and the whole roof is extremely attenuated and flexible. 

 We are not prepared to explain how this remarkable change comes 

 about. 



The hyoid arch bears out its usual ornithic and oscine characteristics, 

 and does not require any special description here, as the author intends 

 to furnish a more elaborate description of the skull when he comes to 

 touch upon the Vireonidce ; a faithful outline of this arch is given, 

 however, from a superior view in Fig. 101 of the plate. 



Before the young of this Shrike has left the nest the numerous elements 

 of the lower jaw have become fused together, so that during maceration 

 the two rami rarely separate at any other point except the symphysis 

 between the dentary elements. In the old bird it is a stout and strong- 

 bone, with sharp-pointed extremity beyond, and deeply scooped -out 

 articular ends posteriorly, with blunted processes behind, and up-turned 

 ones looking towards each other, mesiad. Externally the " sides of the 

 jaw " are concave for their posterior two-thirds, and exhibit the usual 

 elliptic foramen (Fig. 102) ; while the superior ramal borders are 

 rounded and rise into slight prominences at the junction of the outer 

 and middle thirds. As to the sense capsules, we find that the sclerotals 

 are well developed, and very accurately matched together ; the usual 

 ossicles of the organ of hearing likewise ossify. 



There are thirteen vertebrse devoted to the cervical portion of the 

 spine, and, although they make a faint attempt towards a raptorial ap- 

 pearance, they are more oscine in their character than anything else, and 

 are not noted for the prominence of any of their outstanding processes; 

 disregarding the atlas, the first four bear neural spines, this feature not 

 showing itself again until we find it in the last two, the thirteenth possess- 

 ing it as well developed as any of the dorsals. The post- and prezyga- 

 pophyses are markedly short, thus bringiog all the segments quite near 

 together, giving considerable stability to this division of the column. 

 The parapophyses are very delicate where they are produced anteriorly 

 at mid-neck, and quite inconspicuous above; the first four and the last 

 six vertebras bear hypapophyses, they being three-pronged on the last 

 two; this limits the carotid canal to the fifth, sixth, and seventh cervi- 

 cals, unusually slight protection for this important arterial branch. The 

 23 G B 



