150 NATURAL SCIENCE [September 
remains, is now collecting in Christmas Island, but before setting 
out on this expedition he left for publication a paper which has just 
appeared in the Jbis (July), dealing with the most remarkable 
of these other Madagascar birds. Those here described are mainly 
carinate and were associated with Ae. hildebrandti of Burckhardt, in 
a marly layer indicating an old lake bottom at a depth of 12 to 15 
feet. Above the marl comes a coarse gravel consolidated with 
carbonate of lime and containing rolled and broken bones, which may 
mark a voleanic outburst accompanied by hot springs charged with 
that mineral. Above this deposit is another of black earth from 
5 to 6 feet in thickness, in which bird bones occur though rarely. It 
is interesting to note that Ae. hildebrandti does not occur in the black 
earth, but remains of the smaller Ae. mulleri were found together 
with well-preserved bones of Mudllerornis agilis. 
The most important of Dr Major’s discoveries as described by Mr 
Andrews may be briefly enumerated. A large Anserine bird, having 
resemblances to Chenalopex pugil, from Lagoa Santa, Brazil. This 
has been called Centrornis majort. Another Anserine is closely 
allied to Chenalopex aegyptiacus, but the numerous slight differences 
between the fossil and the recent species induced Mr Andrews 
to term it C. sirabensis. He however thinks it possible that when 
further remains are found, it may turn out to be Sarcidiornis 
mauritianus, an extinct bird described by Newton and Gadow from 
Mauritius. A new rail, Zribonyx roberti, is described from a 
pelvis; while a well-preserved tibia is also referred to this species. 
Ardea, Platalea, Astur, and Plotus, are among the other remains 
discovered, but at present the material is not of a sufficient quantity 
to justify further description. It may be as well to note, however, 
that Centrornis is described from remains of four or five individuals ; 
and the Chenalopex from a large collection of bones, many of which 
were found associated. 
THE ORIGIN OF THE EDENTATE MAMMALS 
THE phylogeny of the edentate mammals has long been a standing 
puzzle to palaeontologists, and this gap in our knowledge has 
rendered it impossible to come to a full understanding of the 
South American fauna. So far as the typical or American forms 
(sloths, ground-sloths, ant-eaters, and armadillos) are concerned, the 
problem has been solved by the labours of Dr J. 8. Wortman, of 
the American Museum of Natural History, of which an illustrated 
account has appeared in the Bulletin of the Museum (vol. ix. pp. 
59-110). A valuable illustrated article on the same subject, by 
Prof. O. C. Marsh, has also been published in the American Journal 
of Science (vol, iii., 1897, pp. 137-146). 
