THE GANNET'S OSTEOLOGY 



513 



in particular. Accordingly the Gannet's wing measure- 

 ments are very large, as may be judged from Mr. 

 J. C. Adams's photograph on p. 413, and the humerus 

 correspondingly powerful. I make its wing measurements 

 to be : — 



Humerus, slightly curved . . 8.6 inches. 



Ulna and radius . . . . 7.8 



Metacarpal bones . . . . 3.5 



First phalanx . . . . . . 1.7 



Second ,, . . . . . . 1.8 



Third „ 1.4 



A metacarpal bone figured by Dr. Shufeldt was 

 rather larger than the above. 



The Bones of the Leg. — The Gannet is stated by 

 Dr. Shufeldt to be one of those birds in which the 

 small bone attached to the tibia, and known as the 

 fbula, is complete.* The tibia is four inches in length, 

 the femur, or thigh-bone, is 2.8 in. and 1.3 in. in circumfer- 

 ence. Compared to these the tarsus is short ; otherwise 

 the bones of the leg call for no special remark. 



The Feet. — The variety of structure in birds' feet is 

 as extraordinary as the diversity of any part of the 

 body ; yet evolutionists must believe that all birds sprang 

 from a common ancestor. 



" Ibis," 1894, p. 3G1, In Pelecanus and Phaethon it is not so. 



K K 



