OF THE PALATE OF THE NEOGNATHS. 345 
Seen from the ventral aspect of the skull, the proximal end of 
each, instead of expanding into a broad plate to underlie the 
base of the vomer, and extending backwards in a spike-shaped 
fashion along the pterygoid to within a short distance of the 
basipterygoid process, as in Rhea,—on the contrary, cross the 
pterygo-vomerine bar obliquely, as a narrow flattened lamina, 
attached merely by its mesial border. «che palatine of the 
Tinamou, then, is confined to the distal end of the pterygoid, 
instead of extending back to within a short distance of the 
basipterygoid process as in hea. 
The vomer, as we have already remarked, has shifted relatively 
further forwards; it also appears to have undergone a slight 
relative reduction in size. 
The most important features in all this are: (1) the forward 
shifting of the palatine to the distal end of the pterygoid; and 
(2) the inward shifting towards the middle line. Compare 
figs. 1-5, pl. 31. But it would be well to pause for a few moments 
to survey briefly one or two other features of the Tinamine 
palate before passing on. 
Compared with that of Rhea, it will be remarked at once that 
in the Tinamous the maxillo-palatine processes have undergone 
a great reduction, though they are still of considerable size. 
In Rhea, these processes extend inwards and backwards, in the 
form of a pair of broad, plate-like, more or less fenestrated 
lamine. The postero-internal angle of the plate is continued 
backwards in the form of a long and delicate rod, closely 
approximated to the outer border of the palatine, and terminating 
beyond the middle of that bone. The great size of the maxillo- 
palatine process restricts the forward extension of the quadrato- 
jugal fossa to the level of the antorbital plate. 
In the Tinamous the maxillo-palatine processes—though, as we 
have just remarked, of considerable size—are relatively much 
smaller than in Rhea. The backward extension (the palatine 
process) may be described as having the form of a narrow, 
concavo-convex band tapering to a point, and terminating at 
about the middle of the outer border of the palatine, which it 
supports as in Rhea. The furthest point of this maxillo- 
palatine process lies immediately behind and below the 
antorbital plate. This reduction of the maxillo-palatine process 
has extended the length of the quadrato-jugal fossa, which now 
