ON THE OSTEOLOGY OF THE PIGEONS 

 (COLUMB^). 



Dr. R. W. SHUFELDT. 



Introduction. 



During the past twenty years I have carefully examined and 

 compared the skeletons of upwards of twelve hundred species 

 of birds, and read a great deal upon what has been printed on 

 the osteology of this interesting group of vertebrates. Many 

 families and genera are represented by the material I have 

 examined, the most of it being from the representatives of 

 the United States avifauna. My observations have been 

 written out and illustrated, the whole making a manuscript 

 work of about twenty-five hundred pages, with over five 

 hundred figures. 



In November, 1899, Professor C. O. Whitman of the Uni- 

 versity of Chicago, who at that time was making some very 

 interesting observations upon pigeons, asked me if I could not 

 furnish him with a memoir upon the osteology of that group 

 {Cohimbce) for the Journal of Morphology. As my chapter 

 in the aforesaid manuscript work on the skeletology of the 

 pigeons had never been published, I soon ascertained from 

 him that it would be quite acceptable for the purpose he had 

 proposed. To copy the original chapter was by no means a 

 light task, but it was cheerfully undertaken, and in the most 

 painstaking manner completed, by my wife, who is ever ready 

 to assist me in my work in such matters. My sincere thanks 

 are extended to her here for the promptness with which the 

 assistance was rendered, especially as it came at a time when 

 a very formidable work of mine now in press was engaging 

 my entire attention. Notwithstanding this, by the aid of my 

 camera and drawing pen I reproduced all of the original plates 

 and figures. Our labor will not have been in vain, however, 



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