No. 2.] APHRIZA VIRGATA. 325 
ses in the cervicals, while in both the Surf-bird and in Turn- 
stones these are quite long and spicula-form in the fourth, fifth, 
sixth, and seventh vertebra; and these last species differ with 
Flematopus, in that in this bird the vertebrze of the entire col- 
umn are unusually large in proportion to the size of their owner. 
Free ribs in all the species before us possess both capitula and 
tubercula ; the leading pair being of diminutive size, and gradu- 
ally increasing as they near the ribs of the dorsal region. The 
last pair usually do not develop unciform appendages, though 
they may do so, as in the skeleton of my female Surf-bird, and 
an Oyster-catcher before me. In the dorsal region only the first 
two, or at the most, three, leading vertebrze possess hzema- ° 
pophyses, while ossified metapophyses link their transverse pro- 
cesses together above. <Aphriza has the neural spines of its 
dorsals very low, they being more lofty in the Turnstone, and 
still more so in Hematopus. Plovers and 7Tringee have them of 
a medium height. We find few or no especial distinctive differ- 
ences in the true dorsal ribs of the several species before us, to 
render any aid as pointing to near or remote kinship in the case 
of any two species compared. Agreeing with the majority of 
limicoline birds, these parts are for the most slender, curved as 
usual, and rather long, with uncinate processes that do not 
completely anchylose with the several ribs to which they belong. 
Elsewhere, as I have already said above, I have presented 
figures of the pelvis of the Black Oyster-catcher, and it can be 
said here now that this bone in Hematopus very markedly dif- 
fers from the pelvis either of Aphriza or of Arvenaria. Indeed, 
in some respects, the pelvis of an Oyster-catcher reminds us not 
a little of the pelvis in Gallus bankiva, it lacks, however, the 
propubic spine, and the antero-median borders of the ilia do not 
fuse with the sacral crista. Further, it is noted for having a 
certain solidity and thickness of the several bones that com- 
pose it, quite in keeping with the other parts of the skeleton of 
this powerfully built bird. It differs with the general plan of 
the pelvis in Aphriza (Fig. 21), and in the Turnstones, in that 
in Hematopus the ilium forms a ledge, overhanging to some 
extent the ischium and the ischiadic foramen; the postpubis is 
far separated from the lower ischiadic margin, and is truncated 
almost immediately after passing the ischium behind; finally, 
anchylosis is very strong between all the several bones making 
