. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology. 304 PRODEINOTHERIUM between the two. Both foramina he in a deep groove beneath the ahsphenoid- frontal ridge. From the optic foramen a shallow groove extends forwards to the orbit, marking the course of the optic nerve. The foramen rotundum lies posterior to the anterior lacerate foramen and opens from the alisphenoid flap into a large alisphenoid canal. The mandibular branch of the fifth cranial nerve emerged from the posterior opening of the alisphenoid canal while the facial and maxillary branches emerged from the anterior opening
. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology. 304 PRODEINOTHERIUM between the two. Both foramina he in a deep groove beneath the ahsphenoid- frontal ridge. From the optic foramen a shallow groove extends forwards to the orbit, marking the course of the optic nerve. The foramen rotundum lies posterior to the anterior lacerate foramen and opens from the alisphenoid flap into a large alisphenoid canal. The mandibular branch of the fifth cranial nerve emerged from the posterior opening of the alisphenoid canal while the facial and maxillary branches emerged from the anterior opening. The position of the maxillary branch is marked by a deep groove, partly covered by a flap of bone, that extends towards the ptery- goid process. In skull this groove extends almost vertically (Pis. 2a and b) but in 6404 : 44 it passes anteriorly at aji angle of 45°. Behind the posterior exit of the alisphenoid canal, and above the anterior portion of the auditory bulla, is a large foramen ovale (text-fig. 6). The pterygoid region is very poorly preserved in skull Ventrally and medially it passes uninterruptedly into the presphenoid and posteriorly into the alisphenoid. Nearly all of the ventral part that, together with the palatine, forms the lateral border of the internal nares is missing. The posterior surface of the pterygoid forms a smooth crest that passes laterally to the anterior tip of the petrosal. This region is also poorly preserved in skull 6404 : 44. Squamosal. This is one of the largest bones of the skull and forms the postero- ventral wall of the temporal fossa. It is only poorly preserved in and in many places the surface bone is missing to reveal diploe beneath. The squamosal continues anteriorly and laterally from the supraoccipital to project as a vast lateral wing forming the widest part of the skull (text-fig. 4; PI. ib). The external edge of this wing passes uninterruptedly from the lambdoidal crest into the paroccipital process
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