1914 ] Shufeldt, Osteology of the Passenger Pigeon. 359 



referred, in two or three of my earlier papers, to some of the charac- 

 ters of the latter in connection with the osteology of the American 

 Columbce generally.^ It is highly important that such an account 

 should be published with a plate presenting all the essential charac- 

 ters of the skeleton. This will be useful at the present time, not 

 only for comparison with the osteology of existing species, but also 

 to the palseornithologist, in the event of the discovery of the bones 

 of this bird in the ages to come. 



I am indebted to the U. S. National Museum for the loan of a 

 complete skeleton of this species, the only one in the collection, and 

 the only one of which I have any knowledge (No. 18520, ad., 

 Laurel, Md., c?". ?). In connection with this loan, and for the 

 prompt transmittal of the material, I have pleasure in thanking 

 Dr. Charles W. Richmond, Assistant Curator of the Division of 

 Birds, and his aid, Mr. J. H. Riley. 



The plate illustrating the present article is a reproduction of the 

 photograph I made direct of the aforesaid skeleton ; it presents the 

 bones natural size and conveniently arranged for study and com- 

 parative measurements. 



There is nothing peculiar in the skeleton of this species — indeed, 

 it is about as typically a columbidine one as we would meet with 

 anyw^here; a glance at the plate will be sufficient to convince the 

 avian osteologist of this fact. 



The Skull: — As in all true pigeons and in many fowls, the entire 

 area of the superior part of the skull is smooth, being more or less 

 flat transversely in the frontal region, and uniformly convex from 

 before, backwards, from the vertex of the cranium. Superiorly, 



1 Shufeldt, R. W. "Notes on the Classification of the Pigeons." Amer. Nat., 

 Feb. 1891. Vol. XXV, No. 290, pp. 1.57, 158. 



"On the Comparative Osteology of the United States Columbidw." 



P. Z. S., Lond., Mar. 3, 1891, pp. 194-196. 



■ "On the Osteology of the Pigeons (Columbce)." Jour. Morph., Vol. 



XVIII, No. 3, Bost., 1901, pp. 487-512. Pis. A, B. This paper is illustrated by 

 four outline sketches, only one of which is devoted to Ectopistes, namely the pec- 

 toral aspect of the sternum. 



"On Fossil Bird-Bones Obtained by Expeditions of the University 



of Pennsylvania from the Bone Caves of Tennessee." Amer. Nat., July 1897, 

 pp. 64.5-650. On page 649 it is stated that 'The Passenger Pigeon is represented 

 in the collection by subfossil bones from several adult individuals.' It is shown 

 that some twelve or more specimens were found, and that the several bones differ 

 in no way when compared with the corresponding ones of Ectopistes as the species 

 existed in oiu- avifaima years ago. 



