HERODIONES 



433 



Family Balaenicepidse.— The great ' whale head ' of Africa, 

 Balaniceps rex, requires further study before its exact 

 position can be determined. It is admittedly a member of 

 the present group, though its original describer, Gould, 

 regarded it as a pelican.^ "We know the skeleton through the 

 labours of Paekeb,^ while our at present scanty know- 



FiG. 203. — Sykinx of Balceniceps. 



Fkdni View. (Aftek Beddabd.) 



6, free margin of bronchidesmus. 



Fig. 204.— The Same. Back View. 

 (Afteb Beddabd.) 



ledge of the soft parts is due to myself.^ Its powder-down 

 patches were discovered by Baetlett.^ As in the herons 

 also the right lobe of the liver is the largest, and the caecum 

 is single. The syrinx (see figs. 203-205) is ardeine inform, but 

 lacks the intrinsic muscles. These, however, are not en- 



' Not a serious mistake in. view of the admitted relationships between the 

 Steganopodes and Herodiones. 



' ' On the Osteology of Balaniceps rex' Trans. Zool. Soc. iv. p. 269 

 (abstr. in P. Z. S. 1860, p. 324). 



' ' On certain Points in the Visceral Anatomy of Balcsniceps bearing upon 

 its Affinities,' P. Z. 8. 1888, p. 284. 



' ' On the Affinities of Balceniceps,' ibid. 1861, p. 131. See also Eein- 

 habdt, ' On the Affinities of Balceniceps,' ibid. 1860, p. 377, and Giebel, ' TJeber 

 Balceniceps rex,' Zeitschr.f. d. ges. Nat. Ixi. 1873, p. 850. 



F P 



