Apr. 1899. A Fossil Egg from South Dakota — Farrington. 199 



"The following table shows the species of eggs chosen and their 

 measurements: " 



No. 



Order. 



Family. 



Species. 



Common Name. 



Measurements, 

 (ling, inches.) 



Anseres 



Longipennis. 



Gallinae 



Limicolae. . . 



Anatidic. 

 Laridae. . 



Tetraonidae. . 

 Charadiida?. . 



Anas fulvigula 

 (Sterna fuligi- 



) nosa 



(Tympanuchus 

 } americanus. 

 (Charadriusdo 

 I minicus 



Prairie Hen 



Herodiones. . .'■ Ardeida?. 



Pygopodes.. . . 

 Steganopodes. 



Podicipida 



(Phalacrocora- 

 / cidae 



Ardea caerulea 



(Pod i lymbus 



) podiceps 



Phalacrocorax 

 p. robustus. . . 



Fossil Egg.. . . 

 Florida Duck 



f Sooty Tern.. . . 



s 



American/ 

 Golden Plover^ 

 \Little niue^ 



/ Heron ) 



Pied - billed \ 



Grebe ) 



Violet Green/ 

 Cormorant.^ 



2.03 X 1 49 

 2.05 X 1.52 



1.84 X 1.28 



1.72 X i.?8 

 1.86 X 1.40 



1 . 73 X 1 . 30 

 1. 71 X 1. 19 

 2.52 X 1. 5 1 



It will be seen that in form and proportional measurements the 

 fossil egg resembles most closely that taken as the type of the Anat- 

 idae. The probability of its parent belonging to that family is also 

 increased when one considers the nature of the formation in which 

 the egg was found. This is of lacustrine origin, and birds of this 

 family are well known to frequent the waters of lakes. Unfortunately, 

 from the manner in which the egg was found, it cannot be stated 

 positively that it came from the beds immediately adjacent. These 

 are of White River age, but as the specimen was not found in 

 situ it may of course have come from later and higher beds, or, 

 as has been suggested, be even an egg of a comparatively modern 

 bird. Yet the probabilities are strongly in favor of the supposition 

 that the specimen was, until just before it was found, imbedded in 

 the formation immediately adjacent, and was brought to light by 

 erosion, just as bones of extinct vertebrates are continually being 

 exposed in the same region at the present time. If these suppositions 

 are correct, the specimen affords evidence of the existence of birds of 

 the order Anatidae in Early Miocene times. 



The only other mention of the finding of bird remains in rocks of 

 this period, in this country, of which I am aware, is that of two 

 species of birds from the Amyzon shales of Nevada. These re- 

 mains consist of scattered bones and feathers, and represent birds 



