278 PROF. W. B. BENHAM ON THE [Apr. 2, 



posterior end o£ the inter-ramal space, though the middle portion 

 of the muscle had undergone retrogression. In all other Parrots 

 the muscle was coniiued to the anterior fifth of this space, but in 

 many of them evidences of its once more posterior extension could 

 be found. 



In the majority of Parrots the posterior mylohyoideus consisted 

 of an outer stylohyoideus and an inner serpihyoideus. Various 

 deo-rees in the retrogression of the outer portion could be traced, 

 up to Pezoporus, in which the left-hand one had disappeared and 

 the right nearly so, and to the Lories, in which it had quite dis- 

 appeared on both sides of the tongue. 



The structural characters of the tongue suggested that Parrots 

 might be ai-ranged in three famihes — Loriidse, Nestoridse, and 

 Psittacidse. 



The investigation covered the study of the tongues of fifty- 

 three species, ranging over the whole Order, the Cyclopsittacidse 

 excepted. 



This memoir will be printed entire in the Society's ' Transactions.' 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On the Larynx of certain Whales [Cogia, Balcenoptera, 

 and Ziphius). By W. B. Benham, D.Sc, M.A., F.Z.S., 

 Professor of Biology in the University of Otago^ New 



Zealand. 



[Eeceived February 27, 1901.] 



(Plates XXV.-XXVIII.O 



(Text-figure 75.) 



During the month of August, 1900, I had the opportunity of 

 obtaining specimens of two species of Whales, both of which came 

 ashore on the coast of Otago, near Dunedin, viz. a young new- 

 born female Eorqual, Bcdcenoptera rostrata, and an adult male 

 Cogia, the small Cachalot (probably G. hreviceps). 



The young Eorqual was found on the beach just outside the 

 Otago Harbour, and I received it at the Museum the day after it 

 was thrown ashore; it was thus perfectly fresh and wholesome, 

 and I was able to make a fairly complete dissection of it before 

 its condition became unbearable. Since the soft anatomy of 

 Balcenoptera is pretty well known, thanks to the memoirs of Carte 

 and Macalister, Delage, Turner, and others, I do not intend to 

 give any account of it here. But on becoming possessed of some 

 of the viscera of Cogia, about three weeks later, I was struck by 

 the remarkable differences presented by the larynx in these two 

 genera — a fact well known to students of the Cetacea. 



The larynx of Cogia is, I believe, hitherto undescribed, for 



^ For an explanation of the Plates, see p. 299. 



