488 SHUFELDT. [Vol. XVII. 



if this brief account of the osteology of the group proves 

 to be of any service to those laboring upon the structure of 

 birds. 



R. W. Shufeldt. 



Washington, D. C, Dec. 22, 1899. 



COLUMBiE. 



SUPERFAMILIBS. FAMILIES. SuBPAMILIBS. 



Didoidea Dididae 



r Geouridae 

 Columboidea \ Carpophagidae 



[ Columbidae | Didunculinae 



Existing pigeons the world over form a very well circum- 

 scribed suborder of birds, for the most part quite homogene- 

 ous in their morphology. In studying their osteology I have 

 read the various accounts extant upon the remains of the dodo 

 {Didus incpUis) ; skeletons of Didimcuhis strigirostris (U. S. 

 Nat, Mus. Coll.), of Pterocles arenaruis (U. S. Nat. Mus. Coll.), 

 and sterna of Syrrhaptes (for which I have to thank Professor 

 A. Newton, F.R.S.) have also been examined by me. Much 

 of the literature and figures have also been looked over, and 

 the skeletons of a great many genera and species of existing 

 Columbae examined and compared. Our United States pigeons 

 are all members of the family ColumbidiB, and consequently 

 are all true columbine birds. 



They represent the genera Columba (with three species), 

 Ectopistes (one species), Zejiaidura (one species), Zenaida (one 

 species), Engyptila (one species), Melopelia (one species), and 

 Columbigallinay Scardafella, Geotrygon, and Starnoenas^ all with 

 one species each. Skeletons of most of these genera are at 

 hand at the present time, but I am obliged to rely upon the 

 works of others, of which there are a number of very reliable 

 ones, for the osteology of Columba. I have by me, however, 

 skeletons of the common domesticated pigeons, but they vary 

 greatly in their characters, as has been shown by Darwin and 

 others. 1 



1 Mr. J. S. Singley ,of Giddings, Texas, has furnished me with some good 

 osteological material for the United States pigeons, especially in the genera 



