18-17.] The Slaty blue Megadenne. 839 



sides disappearing in rear with a slope exhibiting two rather deep 

 notches on either side. The furcula is strong, moderately bowed out- 

 wards, but very round at its junction with the keel, and curved highly 

 in the culmenal direction so as to fall in with the high convex sweep 

 of the sternal keel. The furcula is not anchylosed with the head of 

 the sternum as in the largest migratory Storks and Cranes. The clavi- 

 cles are very strong and have very powerful and large crura. (See 

 sketch). 



Soft anatomy. — The intestinal canal is little more than one length 

 of the bird from tip of bill to tip of tail ; about 1^ of the skeleton ; 

 28 to 30 inches in length, and of large diameter. Ccecum 7 to 8 inches 

 long, dilating globosely towards the blind end, and situated 5 to 6 

 inches from anal extremity of intestines. Stomach 8% inches by 2, 

 along greater and lesser arches, a sub-gizzard. Outer coat of consider- 

 able, unequal thickness, but much below the true gizzard type in mus- 

 cular mass, and the muscle pale and flaccid. Inner coat leathery and 

 striated. Shape of stomach more or less ovoid ; its upper oriface 

 central ; its lower, terminal. Towards the latter a curved constriction 

 dividing a small glandulous, from the general triturant portion of the 

 organ. No trace of gular sac. Tongue medial, simple ; its tip sub- 

 bifid. — This bird is congeneric with the Likh (Auritus) which Mr. 

 Gray separates from Otis and places in Lesson's Genus Sypheotides, 

 hodie Eupodotis. I had named the form, Oticulus. 



The Slaty blue Meg aderme. Megaderma schistacea, N. S. — By B. II. 

 Hodgson, Esq. 



VESPERTILIONID.E. 

 Rhinolophin^e. 

 (PhyllostominvE of Gray.) 

 Genus Megaderma? 

 Megaderma schistacea, mihi. 

 Habitat, Northern Bengal towards the Tarai. 

 It is very seldom that the observer of Nature has an opportunity at 

 once and adequately to describe a species in its habits and mature form, 



