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Show 108 MR. C. W. ANDREWS ON REMAINS OP JEPYORNIS [Feb. 6, 3. On some Remains of JEpyornis in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.). By CHAS. W . ANDREWS, B.Sc, F.Z.S. (Assistant in the Geological Department). [Received February 3, 1894.] (Plates XIV. & XV.) During the last two years several collections of vertebrate remains from Madagascar have been received at the British Museum. These include, in addition to the bones about to be described, portions of the skeleton of Megaladapis madagascariensis (a large lemuroid animal recently described by Dr. C. I. Forsyth Major (8)), and bones of a smaller species of the same suborder ; Hippopotamus (? two species, both of small size); Potamochcerus; Bos (two species or varieties) ; Haliaetus (? vociferoides) ; Crocodilus robustus ; and a large Testudo. The localities in which these specimens were collected are all either in the centre of the island or at various points along the south-west coast. It wdll be convenient for purposes of description to take the remains from these two districts separately, the more so as it may hereafter be shown that the deposits in which the bones occur are of slightly different age. The reason for supposing that this may be the case is, that the species of Hippopotamus and those of A^pyornis from the centre differ from those occurring on the coast. Remains of iEpyornis from Central Madagascar. These are all from the neighbourhood of Sirabe, in the province of North Betsileo, situated on a plateau about 4000 to 5000 feet above the sea-level. In this district there are numerous hot springs, in the m u d round which the bones are found. These are of a dark chocolate-brown colour, very heavy and brittle, and are impregnated with carbonate of lime, which forms crystalline masses in their cavities. The portions of the skeleton represented are :- (1) A complete right tarso-metatarsus. (2) A nearly perfect right tibio-tarsus. (3) Fragments of immature tibio-tarsi (of a large and small species). (4) A first phalangeal of the inner toe of the left foot. The tarso-metatarsus (PlateXIV. figs. 1 & 2 ) is very similar to that of M. hildebrandti figured by E . Burckhardt (2), but differs from it in size and in some points of structure. Its upper extremity is quite complete, so that it is possible for the first time to determine accurately the form of the talon and of the proximal articular surface. The dimensions of this bone are as follow ; those of f£. maximus and &. hildebrandti are given for comparison :- |
