272 MR. W. P. PYCRAFT ON THE oi Mlere alee, 
outwards and upwards into a pair of pointed hyperapophyses. 
The neural arches of the vertebre, from the third to the fifth 
inclusive, are very broad, and with or without spines. From the 
third to the sixth or seventh vertebie large metapophyses occur, 
those of the fourth, fifth, and sixth being especially large, pro- 
jecting like buttresses from the base of the anterior zygapophyses. 
The metapophyses of the third vertebra send back each a slender 
bar of bone to join the hyperapophysis. A similar bar of bone 
occurs also from the fourth to the seventh vertebre, but instead 
of joining the hyperapophysis, fuses with the antero- later: al angle 
of the shield-shaped expansion formed by the neural arch. The 
succeeding cervicals do not afford any particularly well-marked 
characters in so far as this region is concerned. 
The anterior cervicals of Scythrops and Cuculus (1 to 7) differ 
from those of the Cuckoos just described in that they are 
relatively slightly longer antero-posteriorly, that the bony bar 
from the metapophysis to the hyperapophysis occurs only in the 
3rd vertebra, and in that the shield-lke expansion of the neural 
arches is very feebly developed. Short neural spines occur in the 
2nd, 3rd, and 4th vertebre. 
The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th vertebre bear hypapophyses; from the 
5th to the 10th these are replaced by catapophyses, which from 
the 11th vertebra backwards to the last cervico-thoracie are 
replaced again by hypapophyses. The cervico-thoracie vertebree 
are peculiar in that they bear more or less well-developed catapo- 
physes in addition to the median hypapophysis. The catapophyses 
never coalesce to form a carotid canal. 
The cervico-thoracic vertebre may be two or three in number. 
The number of the true cervicals varies, being either 11 or 12. 
The thoracic vertebrz are free. The Ist or Ist to 3rd, as in 
Hudynamys and Coua for example, bear hypapophyses. Pneu- 
matic foramina pierce the centra of the vertebra beneath the 
transverse processes. 
The neural spines of these vertebrae gradually increase in height 
from before backwards, and are more or less quadrate in form. 
Coua, however, appears to form an exception to this rule, the spine 
of the Ist thoracic being almost obsolete, and thus agreeing with 
the cervico-thoracic vertebre ; whilst the spines of the 2nd, 3rd, 
and 4th vertebre are, relatively, as high as in other Cuckoos. 
The last two cervico-thoracic (2nd and 3rd) have apparently 
only recently become separated from the thoracic series, inasmuch 
as the vertebral segments of their respective ribs have undergone 
no reduction in length. The ribs of the third pair still retain 
their uncinate processes. 
Only one thoracic vertebra, in the Cuculi, enters into the 
synsacrum. 
The synsacrum includes from 10 to 13 vertebre. The smaller 
number appears to have been due to the reduction, possibly by 
excalation, of the lumbar or lumbo-sacral vertebrze, or of caudal 
vertebree, as in Geococcyx. 
