126 Shufeldt, Material for a Study of the Megapodiida;. [,^f'^"t. 



shaft a little way, to merge into it near its middle. On either 

 side of this romided ridge above, immediately below the hypo- 

 tarsial prominence, there is to be observed one of the two usual 

 perforating foramina of this part of the bone. These openings 

 anteriorly were noted above in a former paragraph. 



At the distal end of tarso-metatarsus occur the three big trochlear 

 projections ; the middle one is the largest, and at the same time 

 the lowermost on the shaft. Between it and the outer one, 

 which is the highest on the shaft, there is a shallow groove 

 leading from above to perforating foramen for the anterior tibial 

 artery. 



The inner trochlea presents to the front a large, semi-globular 

 articular surface of the basal phalanx of the inner toe. A few 

 millimeters above this, on the edge of the shaft, there is the narrow, 

 elongate facet for the articulation of the free, first metatarsal 

 element. This latter is unusually twisted, and has a length of 

 1 6 mm. 



Speaking of measurements, it may be as well to add that the 

 femur has a length of 66 mm., the tibio-tarsus of 97 mm., and 

 the tarso-metatarsus of 6g mm. 



The four toes are large and long, and made up of strong 

 phalangeal joints, distributed in the usual sequence of 2, 3, 4, 

 and 5 phalanges to the first, second, third, and fourth toes 

 respectively. The claws are likewise large, long, curved, and 

 very sharp-pointed. Hallux has a length of 38 mm., second toe 

 of 47, middle of 53, and the outer one of 48 miUimeters. The 

 skeleton of this foot is well shown in fig. 20 of Plate XT, which, 

 being of natural size, gives the lengths of the several phalanges 

 or joints of any particular toe, rendering it unnecessary to record 

 such measurements here. 



Explanation of Plates. 



(All Ihe figures in the plates are reproductions of photographs made 

 by the author direct from the specimens. Tliey were all made 

 natural size ; and, should any particular figure not agree with 

 the measurements given in the text and elsewhere, that figure 

 has been reduced in reproduction.) 



Plate VIII. 



pi<T. 12. Egg of Megapodius pritchardi. No. 33,063, Coll. U.S. Nat. 



Mus. 



pjcT. 13. — Egg of Megapodius )iicobarie)isis. No. 2C),6o4, Coll. U.S. 

 Nat. Mus. 



Pig i_,^. — Egg of Megapodius cumingi. No. 29,998, Coll. U.S. Nat. 

 ]\Ius. (In these figures the eggs arc several shades darker 

 than tiic originals, due to their having been reproduced 

 from coloured photographs, the grey of the photograph 

 affecting the overlying tint and rendering it darker.; 



