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Show 330 MR. F. E. BEDDARD ON [Apr- 15, I shall now proceed to direct attention to certain points in the skull, some of which I have not seen referred to elsewhere. Skull. As to the temporal fossae, Prof. Parker contrasts the Kagu on the one hand with Anthropoides, Balearica, Psophia, Eurypyga, Ocydro-mus, and (Edicnemus on the other. Psophia and Rhinochetus appear to m e rather as the two extremes which are connected by various intermediate types as follows :- Psophia. QZdicnemus. Aramus. ] Grus. V Fulica. J Ocydromus. Eurypyga. Rhinochetus. In Eurypyga the temporal fossae more nearly approach each other on the occipital face of the skull than in any other type except the KaiiU. In Psophia, as in most of its allies, the postorbital angle and the postfrontal process are one. Fig. 1. Side view of skull of Psophia leucoptera. In the skull of Rhinochetus examined by myself, it seemed to me that this was not the case, and that the original (?) separateneas of the two processes was just visible. This appears to be confirmed by the fact that the two are quite obviously distinct, though both are small, in Eurypyga helias, a bird unmistakably allied to Rhinochetus. Something of the same kind occurs in many Limicolce. The maxillo-palatines are comparatively large and swollen and are quite visible when the skull is regarded from below, as they |