V "I \ \ \ I / ■ / i / , i 1,1 , i ' > I 



|, M . | ,S||| | | | HI , I null iliiilnm , In IVUITI I ' I h n n I nl m/ ,/ ,,| 



i. t , Meleagris antiquus; or, in other words, I »loulii the proprii I 

 of basing a new species of fossil turkey upon " the distal end of s 

 i ill i humerus," as Professor Marsh has done in this case. Nor 

 do the characters he describes for < lii s Bpecies, d being diagnostic, 

 hold true, [t is a positive detrimenl to science, in my estimation, 

 lo create new species of fossil birds upon the distal ends of long 

 bones, mnl surely no assistance whatever to those who honestly 

 endeavor to gain some idea of (In - avian species that really existed 

 during prehistoric times. So far as M, alius and M, celer are con 

 cerned, I can only say thai I Know nothing of them from personal 

 examination of the material upon which ili«' species are based, and 

 this has been pefu led me." 



"In the ca ie of Meleagris alius, Professor Marsh Bays thai ili« - 

 length of the tarso metatarsal is equal to L76.5 mm. (p. 261), and 

 the presenl writer says thai ii Is by no means uncommon to Mud 

 the same bones in adull specimens of .1/. gallopavo fully of thai 

 length, if no1 longer. Theother characters Professor Marshenu 

 merates, may each and :ill !><• due to sexual ;■ > i< I individual 

 varial ions." 



" In the ca ie of Meleagris oeler, this likewise holds true; and in 

 r< nil to the statemenl thai I li<' " remains preserved indicate a l>inl 

 aboul half the I >■ 1 1 U of M, alius," may be said with equal truth of 

 .1/. gallopavo, in which species a similar discrepancy in size also 

 i i i i between ie i and between the old and young." 



In other words, I am of the opinion, so far as I am able to judge 

 from In descriptions, thai when Professor Marsh described his 

 three extincl and new species of Meleagris, he had nothing more or 

 Ii before him than the very meagre and fragmentary remains oi 

 1/ gallopavo," ' A; pointed oul below, < 1 1 « • .« • birds may nol have 

 been true turkey i al .'ill 



Ii is clear, From Professor Marsh's description, that he attempted 

 to establish Meleagris antiqua upon an imperfect distal extremity 

 of a righl humerus, and M. celer upon the fossil bones enumerated 

 below, Ii has already been pointed oul in a previou paragraph 

 thai I found nol •■! fev fossil bones of Meleagris g. silvestris in the 

 material which was taken from the Bone Caves of Te 



.i o) ■"■■ ($not, ii i 8 n i .i 120 m , i, .,,,,, . antiqua I 

 The title i "ii pa ■• I 10 



