[0TE8 ON SOME RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE EXHIBI- 

 TION SERIES OF VERTEBRATE FOSSILS. 



By Charles W. Gilmore, 



Of tJie Depart) I lent of (ieoloejy. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The purpose of these brief notes is to call attention to some of the 

 nore important accessions recently placed on exhibition in the court 

 levoted to Vertebrate Paleontology in the L". S. N&tional Museum. 



A SKELETON OF RHAMPHORHYNCHUS GEMMINGI Meyer. 



One of the specimens secured especially for the Museum exhibit at 

 the Louisiana Purchase Exposition was a well-preserved example (No. 

 2420)" of that curious fl\-ino- reptile, BJuunphor/iyneJui.^ gemmingi^ 

 from the lithographic limestone quarries (I pper Jurassic), near Eich- 

 statt, Germany. 



This is one of the few specimens in which the impressions of the 

 sving mem))rane have been preserved. The wing in form somewhat 

 resembled that of the l)at, but the membrane was attached only to the 

 lifth or little linger, which had an enormous development. A critical 

 examination of the obverse and reverse slabs (Plates XXX and XXXI) 

 shows the linear depressions along the wing ])ones produced by the 

 folding of the membrane. The impression of the rhomboidal flap of 

 mem})rane, which probabh' acted in the capacity of rudder when in 

 flight, ma}' be seen at the distal extremity of the tail. This specimen, 

 when entombed in the rocks, had the wings folded, but an example of 

 li. pJtyllurus in the Yale University uuiseum and several specimens 

 in the Bayet Collection, now belonging to the Carnegie Museum, 

 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, show^ 1)v the impressions that the wings were 

 somewhat extended. One at least in the latter collection has the wings 

 full}' open. 



Most of the bones are pneumatic — that is, hollow and flUed with air, 

 after the manner of birds. The e3'es are protected by a ring- of scle- 

 rotic plates (see Plate XXX), somewhat similar to those found around 



"Catalogue number of the U. S. National Museum. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXX— No. 1460. 



607 



