Show cold co d of million years ago had head bones although the codfish Is considered a stupid fellow he Is not nearly as much of a bonehead as his predecessors of devonian times the present day cod has bones of various kinds in his head whereas some of the fish that swam the seas years ago had bad more than these data are pertinent to an exhibit of the history of skulls human fish and otherwise in the american museum of natural history and deals with the difference in connection between the skull of the codfish and of human belnas the exhibit shows the skull of the cod with bones explained explain ed a staff assistant la in comparative anatomy in man the number la Is reduced to 28 As we progress from primitive to specialized vertebrates the number of original skull elements Is reduced while the remaining ft ones become highly differentiated ent ted this reduction in skull bones has been oa jred in all ali of the cje gresl j at groups of vertebrates as we follow the changes through the ages some of tho the bones gradually become very small and disappear as tor for example the bones covering the gills while others though ever increasing in size fuse use with their fellows of the opposite side as in the case of the mala main bo bones do s of th the e fore forehead head of the skull |