166 DE. JULIUS VON HA AST ON A NEW 



Dinornis of the same size, and approach more nearly those indicated in Apteryx. The 

 shaft of the tibia of Megalapteryx, straight as in Apteryx, is not so flattened on its 

 anterior side as in the recent species, in which, starting from below the well-excavated 

 intercnemial space, the whole surface of the shaft between the procnemial and fibular 

 ridges is nearly flat, while the posterior part is rounded off, so that it possesses an 

 almost semicircular form, both ridges, though standing scarcely above the surface of 

 the bone, being at the same time well defined. 



On the other hand, the anterior portion of the shaft of Megalapteryx is well rounded 

 on its upper portion, getting gradually flattened towards its distal end. It thus 

 resembles Dinornis, with the exception that the procnemial ridge, like that of Apteryx, 

 as previously pointed out, runs more along the inner side instead of crossing diagonally 

 the frontal part of the shaft. On the posterior side the shaft of Megalapteryx, though 

 near the proximal end it is a little flatter than in Apteryx, soon assumes a rounded 

 form, thus closely resembling the shaft of the recent species. Altogether it is not so 

 compressed postero-anteriorly as the shaft of Dinornis, a section near the centre showing 

 a nearly oval form. 



In Megalapteryx the extensor groove for the tibialis anticus has much the same form 

 as in Apteryx. There is also a small ossified bridge over the extensor canal, which in 

 Apteryx consists only of cartilage. The gastrocnemial surface forms a long rough 

 ridge, nearly two inches in length ; it is only indicated by a slightly hollowed space in 

 Apteryx. 



The distal end of the tibia closely resembles that of Apteryx. The front part of the 

 ectocondyle rises higher than the endocondyle in both Megalapteryx and Apteryx, while 

 in Dinornis the opposite takes place. 



Fibula. (Plate XXX. fig. 7.) 



The greater upper portion of the left fibula was also found amongst the bones. 

 In form it also approaches more closely the corresponding bones of Apteryx in having 

 the convex head more compressed and the shaft of the bone more bent than in 

 Dinornis. 



The fore and aft dimensions of the head are 1-02 inch, the transverse diameter 

 0-32 inch. There are two rough surfaces for the insertion of muscles on the outer 

 edge of the shaft of the bone, of which the lower forms quite a protuberance. 



