SUB-FOSSIL REMAINS FROM KING ISLAND. 
The first portion of a pelvis secured was obtained by Mr. 
Campbell, and presented by him to the National Museum. 1 his 
by itself was too fragmentary and imperfectly preserved to base 
any decided conclusion upon. Indeed, in the absence of other 
specimens it could not bo definitely stated whether it was .an 
adult or a young one, but the structure of the 20 specimens now 
in our possession is decisive. As the table shows, there is a 
difference of 150 mm. between the length of the largest pelvis of 
D. minor and D. novoe-hollandice , and a difference of nearly 
50 mm. between the former and D. peroni. Indeed, the latter 
appears to be intermediate in size between the two former. 
5. Skull. 
(Plate 6.) 
As might be expected, remains of the skull are difficult 
to procure, and are of necessity more or iess fragmentary, the 
fragile bones of the jaws being easily detached and broken. 
The complete fusion of the bones, and entire eradication of all 
sutural marks, show that the remains are those of quite mature 
birds; indeed, unless complete fusion of the bones had taken place, 
there would not be the slightest chance of the preservation of the 
cranium as a whole. The shifting of the sand, under which the 
bones lie buried, by strong westerly gales would soon dissociate the 
skull bones. In a young IJ. novw-hollandia ?, with a length of 80 
mm. between the frontal suture and the occiput— that is, much larger 
than the largest of the skulls of D. minor — the sutures between 
the occipital, parietal, and frontal bones are widely open, and 
during maceration the bones separate from one another. Instead 
of theie being any chance that the skulls are those of immature or 
not 1 ully grown birds, it may be regarded as absolutely certain 
that only peifectly mature skulls would have any chance of 
surviving the movements of the shifting sand. 
Even more striking than the difference in size is that in the 
shape of the cranium of the island and the mainland form. The 
illustrations of the skulls seen in side-view in figures 5. 6 and 9 
and the outline drawings representing the curvature of the upper 
surface of the cranium m two adult specimens of D. minor and two 
adult and one immature specimens of D. novce-hollandice , show at 
a glance lie great difference that exists in the cranial formation of 
the two forms, the outline drawings are life-size and in each 
case the horizontal line passes through the condyle posteriorly 
and the suture of the frontal bone anteriorly.* The contrast 
Martin, for the opportunity Tusnljf which "we a^e^ud l ebt t efTo P feoSor R. J^Ber^ 0 ^ 
[ 14 ] 
