Mr. H. Seeley on the Avian Affinities of Pterodactyles. 323 
Archeopteryx shows that the tail is like that of old birds, even 
if it presents some analogy in form to that of certain reptiles. 
(4) “Il n’y auroit pas eu de dents au bec; les dents des 
harles ne tiennent qu’a l’enveloppe cornée, et non a la charpente 
ossense.” 
This is not a reptilian character. Among reptiles some tribes 
have teeth, others want them; and among mammals some ani- 
mals are without teeth, though they are so characteristic of the 
class. And therefore it seems an anomaly that birds should all 
be toothless. And so, without citing the supposed teeth of 
Archeopteryx, it may be affirmed that it would be no more re- 
markable for some birds to have teeth than it is for some mam- 
mals and reptiles to be without them. 
(5) “Les vertébres du cou auroient été plus nombreuses. 
Aucun oiseau n’en a moins de neuf; les palmipédes, en parti- 
culier, en ont depuis douze jusqu’a vingt-trois, et lon n’en voit 
icl que six ou tout au plus sept.” 
This, again, is a variation of detail such as, had it occurred 
among ordinary birds, would not have occasioned remark. When 
the variation of the neck-vertebre ranges from twenty-three to 
nine, the further reduction of the number to seven becomes in- 
significant, and is certainly far from going to show that the 
animal was a reptile. 
(6) “Au contraire, les vertébres du dos Pauroient été beau- 
coup moins. Il semble qwil y en ait plus de vingt, et les 
oiseaux en ont de sept a dix, ou tout au plus onze.” 
This modification is so obviously the result of small develop- 
ment of the pelvic bones, and hence of the small number of 
vertebra in the sacrum, that it cannot be held to bear against 
the avian relations of Pterodactyles any more than it supports 
their reference to the class of reptiles. 
These are Cuvier’s arguments ; and in them is found nothing 
against the ornithic affinities of the tribe, except the tarsus, and 
absolutely nothing to support the hypothesis that Pterodactyles 
are reptiles. 
Further on (tome v. part 2. p. 363), speaking of the teeth, it 
is said—‘“ Elles sont toutes simples, coniques, et & peu prés 
sembables entre elles comme dans les crocodiles, les monitors, et 
dautres lézards.”” Now the teeth of Pterodactyles are (in the 
skull) all, or nearly all, in the premaxillary bones, in which it is 
so characteristic for the teeth of animals to be merely conical 
and simple. Therefore it would have been difficult to imagine 
the teeth to have been anything but what they are, whatever 
the affinities of the Pterodactyle might be. 
At p. 867 it is remarked—“ La longueur du cou est propor- 
tionnée a celle de la téte. On y voit cing vertébres grandes et 
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