Fossil Birds in the Marsh Collection of Yale University 23 



the Crane, but otherwise the anterior /ac?>5 are very similar. Judging 

 from this fragment, it would appear that the bird was at least one of 

 the generalized types of Waders, and not especially related to the 

 " Natatores," as Marsh seemed to beHeve. It should be compared 

 with the Horned Screamer (Palaniedea cornuta), but I have not the 

 skeleton of that species at hand. The circularity of the external con- 

 dyle is seen in some Anseres; and, as a matter of fact, it would be 

 extremely interesting to discover additional remains of this most 

 remarkable Unpe, which seems to have, judging from this piece of the 

 tibio-tarsus, Turkey, Swan, Crane, and even other groups all combined 

 in it. 



Pal^otringa littoralis Marsh. 

 (Plate VI, Fig. 35.) 



Marsh, Amer. Journ. Sci., ser. 2, XLIX, 1870, 208. 



Holotype. Cat. No. 830, Peabody Museum, Yale University. Hornerstown, 

 New Jersey. Cretaceous. J. G. Meirs, collector. 



As will be observed from the ligures in my plate (VI), the material 

 upon which this genus and species is erected now consists of the cUstal 

 portion of a fossil left tibio-tarsus; three fragments which apparently 

 belong to its shaft, and one piece which certainly does. These shaft- 

 fragments help but very little in the matter of reference, while the 

 chief part of the specimen lacks the entire internal condyle. 



Some of the characters of this tibio-tarsus, however, are more or 

 less distinctive; and such as they are, they do not point to the bird 

 having been a wader, as Professor Marsh surmised. He compared 

 it with the corresponding bone in the European Curlew {Numenius 

 arquatus Linn.), and evidently had, strangely enough, the skeleton of 

 the "Herring or Silvery Gull" before him at the time. 



In my opinion, this tibio-tarsus belonged to the skeleton of a medium- 

 sized Gull and not to any wader. Such characters as it presents in 

 its imperfect condition, are distinctly larine, and typically larine at 

 that. Were the internal condyle there to be examined and compared, 

 one could be very certain as to this reference; but unfortunately 

 it is, as I have pointed out above, broken entirely off. 



Palceotringa vetus has been discussed by me on a later page of this 

 contribution. 



