1912] Miller: Pacific Coast Avian Palaeontology 91 
shows a greater degree of robustness, both absolute and relative. 
The humerus is slightly longer and stouter, but whether the wing 
expanse is increased to a degree commensurate with the in- 
creased body weight is questionable. We seem, then, to be deal- 
ing with a vulture that was of a heavier body and shorter 
limb than the persistent Catharista urubu. The difference be- 
comes more significant when it is noted that the character separ- 
ating the extinct from the persistent species of Catharista is 
identical with one of those separating the more restricted Cathar- 
ista urubu from the wider ranging Cathartes aura. It should 
also be noted that the extinet form Catharista shastensis from 
the caves is separable from the Rancho La Brea species, C. occi- 
dentalis, by a greater robustness of the tarsometatarsus and 
by a greater body size as indicated by its stouter coracoid. The 
cave form, the asphalt form, and the Recent form of Catharista 
thus fall with the Recent Cathartes into a series of progressively 
hghter-bodied and possibly more strongly flying vultures, which 
display, in the cases of the last three at least, a progressively 
greater ability to cope with their environment. 
That the cavern and the asphalt deposits are not of the same 
age is evidenced by the occurrence therein of distinct but closely 
related species of cathartids belonging to two genera, i.e. Gym- 
nogyps and Catharista. The localities are separated by approx- 
imately seven degrees of latitude and a difference in elevation 
of fourteen hundred feet. Both lie at present in approximately 
the same faunal zone. Species possessed of the excellent volant 
powers shown by the large vultures when present in the con- 
siderable numbers indicated by their remains in the two deposits 
would searcely feel the restrictions of such slight barriers as 
could have existed at that time. 
The existing species of Gymnogyps, before its numbers were 
depleted by the influence of man, ranged from Lower California 
to British Columbia and from sea-level to the summits of the 
Coast Range, while the existing Cathartes is almost ubiquitous. 
Furthermore our knowledge of the Recent vultures as a group 
would lead us to discard as incongruous the conception of a 
vulture so strictly boreal as to come southward in considerable 
numbers as far as the Shasta region and not reach the more 
