30 



The earlier is that of a newly born Ch-ysochloris hottentota, whose 

 skull has been cut into microscopic sections and reconstructed, 

 and a somewhat later stage of Chrysochloris asiatica. whose skull 

 has been prepared for the study of the membrane-bones. The 

 following are the most interesting features discovered : — 



External to the exoccipitals on each side is a large membrane- 

 bone which partly covers the petrosal or periotic. This is believed 

 to be the homologue of the bone which occurs in Therapsid and 

 most primitive reptiles, and usually referred to as the tabular. 

 The sections prove that it is no part of the auditory capsule. 



Along the inner side of the preavticular or " goniale " — the 

 little membrane-bone which supports the underside of the upper 

 end of Meckel's cartilage — is a second membrane-bone, which, it 

 is believed, has not been previously recognised in the mammal 

 skull. This may be the homologue of the reptilian surangular. 



Under the back part of the nasal capsule, and situated between 

 the capsule above and the alisphenoid and pteiygoid below, is a 

 large membrane-bone of doubtful significance. It is probably 

 the homologue of the " postero-lateral vomer" of Parker. 



The skull is held to be in some respects highly specialised and 

 in others degenerate, although also retaining a number of very 

 primitive characters. 



Dr. 0. W. Andrews, F.R.S., F.Z.S., described an incomplete 

 sternum of a gigantic carinate bird from the (?) Eocene of 

 Mo-eria. Comparison with the sterna of several groups of birds 

 leads to the conclusion that this specimen, though differing 

 considerably from the sternum of any living member of the 

 group, belonged to a very large representative of the Tubinares. 

 It has about twice the linear dimensions of the sternum of 

 an Albatross, of which the spread of wing (in the flesh) was 

 10 ft. 8 in. It is proposed to refer this species to a new genus 

 Gigantornis, the specific name being G. eaglesomei after its 

 discoverer. 



Dr. A. Smith 'Woodward, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., read a paper on a 

 mammalian mandibular ramus from an Upper Cretaceous for- 

 mation in Alberta, Canada. The specimen represented an 

 opossiim-like marsupial, and he referred it to a new species of 

 Cimolestes named C. cutleri in honour of its discoverer, Mr. 

 William E. Cutler. The close dental series behind the canine 

 measured 30 mm. in length, and the molars differed from those 

 of the two known species of the genus in their relatively less 

 elevated trigonid. The foui'th premolar was a large, tumid, 

 laterally compressed cone, with one well-separated posterior cusp. 



Mr. V. LuTSHNiK communicated the following three short 

 Coleoptera papers : — (1) A List of Carabidte collected in Chopersk 

 District, South Russia, (2) On a new Species of the Genus Platysma 

 from China, and (3) Notes on Species of i^Zafv/sma from Australia. 



