204 MESSES. HANCOCK AND ATTHEY ON THE 



The inner part of the posterior margin is formed by a ridge 

 which thickens and enlarges at the point where it turns suddenly 

 forwards, and this thickened part is turned upwards and over- 

 laps a little the upper surface of the skull ; thence to the external 

 point or horn the surface is smooth, and has the appearance of 

 being that of a joint. This is apparently the tympanic bone. 



The surface sculpture, however, does not extend so far back 

 as this ; it terminates abruptly in a sigmoidal line that reaches 

 from the outer margin of the epiotic bone about midway between 

 its posterior horn and the hinder boundary of the orbit to the 

 base of the outer cornu. At first this line (that is, its inner ex- 

 tremity) arches gracefully forwards, and then sweeps backwards 

 and outwards to its outer termination, as already indicated. 

 Behind this line the bone is depressed and smooth ; the space 

 next the epiotic bone is of considerable extent, and has all the 

 appearance of being for muscular attachment : probably the tem- 

 poral muscles may originate here ; for muscles so placed would 

 be conveniently situated to act upon the articular extremity of 

 the mandible. 



The posterior outer boundary of the orbit is formed by the 

 postorbital, the limits of which can be partially traced ; it is 

 narrow, and extends from the postfrontal to the inner posterior 

 border of the malar ; its orbital margin is concave, and is inclined 

 outwards and forwards. The limits of the malar are also pretty 

 well denned ; it is wide behind, before quite narrow, not being 

 more than seven-eighths of an inch wide, including the thickness 

 of the posterior extremity of the maxilla, which forms as it were 

 a narrow border to its straight margin. When perfect, this nar- 

 row margin of the malar could not be less than two and a half 

 inches long ; more than two inches of it still remains, the ante- 

 rior extremity having been broken away. The orbital boundary 

 of this part is only very slightly concave ; it then rather suddenly 

 bends inwards and backwards as it approaches its junction with 

 that of the postorbital, where there is a slight bulging inwards. 

 From this point the posterior margin of the malar is bounded by 

 the postorbital, the squamosal, and the quadrate. At first this 

 boundary passes inwards and backwards, then outwards and 



