156 Walter Rothschild. 



process of quadrate very short; lachrymal with large orbital 

 process, mesethmoid visible, like a lozenge-shaped plate between 

 the nasals: axis vertebra with hypapophysis, post-sacral vertebrae 

 of synsacrum atrophied: total vertebrae 49, cervical 14. Coracoid 

 grooves of sternum widely seperated. Corpus sterni basin shaped, 

 with marked ventral protuberance, posterior lateral processes 

 absent, anterior lateral processes conspicuous; rib surfaces crowded 

 together immediately behind anterior lateral processes. Coracoids 

 long and slender, procoracoid small. Pelvis long and narrow. 

 Pubes anchylosed caudad: postacetabular ilia anchylosed with one 

 another in the mid-dorsal line, and with ischia caudad: Ischia 

 closely united in the middle-line with one another, throughout 

 almost entire length forming a separate supra-renal fossa: 

 (unique) pubes anchylosed with ischia caudad. 3 toed, ungual 

 phalanges long, nails large; extensor bridge of tibia wanting: 

 aftershaft wanting: Remiges long, degenerate: rectrices atrophied: 

 caeca very large: syrinx tracheo-bronchial, one pair of muscles. 



3. Casuarii. Vomer deeply cleft posteriorly, forming widely 

 expanded right and left limbs running directly backwards beneath 

 pterygoid; palatine articulating posteriorly by its mesial border 

 with the combined vomer and pterygoid: anterior palatine foramen 

 small, near tip of beak: anterior narial and lachrymo-nasal fossae 

 confluent: nasal with vestigial external process: procoracoid small: 

 vestigial clavicles: a large aftershaft: Caeca large: syrinx wanting. 



A) Dromaiinae. Vomer expanded into a broad flattened plate 

 between maxillo-palatme: palatine fernestrated posteriorly: not an- 

 chylosed with pterygoid: horizontal plate of mesethmoid appearing 

 between nasals: lachrymals fusing with nasals and frontal, and with 

 long supra-orbital processes: Cervical vertebrae short: total 

 vertebrae 54, cervical 17 — 18. Coracoid grooves overlapping: 

 anterior lateral process sternum long: vestigial clavicles, corpus 

 sterni nearly as long as broad: coracoid longer than broad; pubes 

 free, caudad: post-acetabular longer than pre-acetabular ilium: 

 fore-arm and hand combined equal in length to humerus: sub- 

 trochanteric fossa small, no carpal elements visible; neither pollex 

 nor digit ITI present : 3-toed : Regimes reduced to a few degenerate 

 feathers. 



a) Droinaius same characters as subfamily. 



b) Dromor7iis. Difl^ers from Droinaius in its much greater 

 robustness, in the absence of the pneumatic foramen at hind part, 

 of upper expansion of femur, in the prominence and thick con- 

 vexity of fore part of the expansion of outer cond^de and in the 

 popliteal cavity being divided from the intercondylar cavity by 

 a ridge. 



c) Genyornis. Dift'ers from Droinornls and Dromaius in the 

 very large head, enormous lower mandible, great size of femur 



