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Show 666 MR. H. SEEBOHM ON THE FIJIAN [Dec. 2, diversity. The Rhynchocephalians appear to lose the pterygoid teeth first, the vomerine next. In the Squamata, the predominating Reptilian type at the present period, vomerine teeth are known in but a single genus (Ophisaurus) of the family Anguidce, which has in addition palatine and pterygoid teeth ; and in these Squamata we see that the rule in the suborder Lacertilia is to lose the teeth from front to back, and in the suborder Ophidia from back to front. Thus, there are but two genera of Lizards with palatine teeth, and they are also armed with teeth on the pterygoids; and the few genera of Snakes in which the teeth are restricted to one of the two bones have them invariably on the palatines. I have attempted to record in the table (see p. 665) what is at present known of the distribution of the teeth on the palates of the Reptiles and Batrachians. An asterisk after a generic name indicates that the character is not constant throughout the genus. 3. On the Fijian Species of the Genus Merula. By HENRY SEEBOHM. [Received November 29, 1890.] The four largest islands of the Fiji group each contain a species of Merula, which appears to be distinct from those found on the other three. Of these four species three are well known, but the fourth appears to be undescribed. The distribution of the four species is as follows :- Merula vanuensis. Vanua-Levu. Merula layardi. Viti-Levu. Merula ruflceps. Kandavu. Merula tempesti. Taviuni. These four species differ from each other in many characters, of which the following are the most useful for diagnostic purposes :- (a) In some species the under tail-coverts are uniform in colour, in others each under tail-covert has a conspicuous pale shaft-streak, widest at the tip. (b) The upper parts below the nape are nearly black in some species, and olive or brown in others, (c) The throat in one species is orange-buff, and in the others grey. These three characters serve to diagnose the four species as follows:- vanuensis. \ I )>Throat grey. I Under tail-coverts uniform.^ tempesti. -> ^ Back nearly black. I. ruflceps. J The male differs somewhat from the female in all the species, but the characters given above are common to both sexes. layardi |
