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III. On the Extinct Birds of Patagonia. — I. The Skull and Skeleton of Phororhacos 

 inflatus Ameghino. By C. W. Andrews, B.Sc., F.Z.S., Assistant in the British 

 Museum [Natural History). 



Eeceived March 21, read April 18, 1899. 



[Plates XIV.-XVII.] 



IN a paper read at the Meeting of the British Association at Ipswich, in 1895, and 

 subsequently published in the ' Ibis ' 1 , the present writer gave a brief review of a very 

 interesting memoir by Dr. Florentino Ameghino on some remarkable fossil birds from 

 the Tertiary deposits of Patagonia. Since that time, the specimens described by 

 Ameghino have come to the Geological Department of the Natural History Museum, 

 so that an opportunity of examining the bones themselves has arisen ; and in the case 

 of the most remarkable of the specimens, the skull and skeleton of Phororhacos 

 inflatus, the careful removal of the adherent matrix has revealed for the first time 

 many points of great importance, e.g. the structure of the palate. It seems, therefore, 

 desirable to give as complete an account as possible of the osteological characters 

 of this bird, in order, if possible, to arrive at some conclusion as to its precise 

 relationship to recent forms ; and although the account given in Ameghino's excellent 

 paper is an accurate one as far as it goes, still it seems best, even at the risk of some 

 repetition, to describe in detail all the parts of the skeleton available, in order to 

 facilitate the comparison of them with recent types. 



It may be at once stated that if the remains described by Ameghino really formed 

 parts of one individual skeleton (and there seems to be no reason to doubt this), then 

 this bird presents a most extraordinary combination of characters, to which no close 

 parallel can be found among recent forms. A brief summary of the various opinions 

 that have been expressed relative to the systematic position of the Stereornitb.es will 

 be found in the above-mentioned review. 



The present paper will be confined to a description and comparison of the skeleton 

 of Phororhacos inflatus Ameg., that species being represented by much the best 

 series of remains. 



Skull and Skeleton of Phororhacos inflatus Ameghino. 

 Of this species there is a fine series of bones, including the skull and mandible, 

 scapula, coracoid, bones of wing, pelvis, and bones of hind limb, as well as some 

 vertebra: these are said to belong to a single individual. There is also a number of 



1 " Remarks on the Stereornithes, a Group of Extinct Birds from Patagonia,'' Ibis, 1890, p. 1. 



vol. xv. — part in. No. 1. — October, 1899. k 



