I 



Shufeldt — Ox "OsTK()i.()(;v of Birds*' 159 



NoTKs ON Till-: "Osteology of Birds:" — Under the title of 

 Osteal o;^}' of Birds the New York State Museum published 

 tor the writer a volume, with many Plates and Figures, in 

 which the .Ircipitrcs. the GaU'vuc. the Anscrcs, and certain 

 Coccyges were very full)' treated, it appeared last spring', 

 and has been very favorably received by ornithologists, 

 especially in Europe, where a greater attention is paid to 

 such subjects than in this country. In this work, up to date, 

 my attention has been called but to two points demanding" 

 correction or comment from me. Professor E. Regalia, of 

 Genoa, Italy, has shown that an error has evidently been 

 made in the length given for the tibio-tarsns in Braiifa can- 

 adensis, which is stated to be in my book 7.3 centimetres, or 

 the same that is given for the femur in the same specimen. 

 He has a >keleton of that goose in his own collection, wherein 

 he states the tibio-tarsiis has a length of IG-t millimeters, and 

 doubtless this is correct, the latter bone being more than 

 double the length of the femur (p. o'Z'6). This error probably 

 occurred by my quoting the same measurement I had made 

 for the thigh-bone for the bone of the leg, and evidently over- 

 looking the correct measurement made of the latter, both being 

 .before me at the same time. Professor Regalia is entitled to 

 my thanks for having pointed out this slip. 



The distinguished Italian ornithologist Count Tommaso 

 Salvadori of the Royal INIuseum of Zoology of Turin, Italy, 

 writes me under date of June 2(), 1!)0!), as follows: "As re- 

 gards the classification of the Anseres you have not mentioned 

 the one I proposed in \'ol. xxvii of the Catalogue of Birds. 

 1 have there introduced a new subfamily, the Chenoucttince 

 (page viii. 128) the members of which have the external 

 appearance of Geese, but the males have a larnyx furnished 

 with a bulla ossea as in Auatiuec. ]\ly scheme may be endorsed 

 from what you say about the skull of Chlo'cphaga poliocephala 

 which according to you. dififers considerably from the skull 

 of Beniichi or Braufa and rather seems to slightly approach 

 the skull of some of the Ducks in certain characters. The 

 subject appears worth}- of being considered." 



